Teach me about love, sensei
by Award133
Summary: Kaoru returns to her small town in the hopes of becoming an English teacher. She mistakes a handsome student as just another untamed rebel. Fate cruelly forces them to meet in the most humiliating circumstances and she quickly learns that while he is not a delinquent, his dangerous gaze hidden behind his calm demeanor makes it quite clear that he is, most definitely, trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I cleaned your room before you got here." Kaoru's father opened her bedroom door as she walked in, pulling her luggage along the floor. For years, he made sure to keep his daughter's room as neat and clean as possible, anxiously preparing for her return home.

"Thanks, dad." Kaoru tried to sound animated, but she was just too exhausted from her trip. She survived a 16 hour flight to Japan with another hour in between to transfer flights, on top of an hour train ride to her town. Not to mention she had to drag two large luggages. Her arms were burning from the exercise. If she didn't see some defined muscles the next morning, she would be quite surprised.

"Are you hungry?" He asked and she managed to gather enough energy to shake her head.

"No, I'm just exhausted..." She dropped the luggage at her feet and toppled onto her futon that her father already set out for her. She inhaled the fresh smell of her blanket and she could tell her father hung her futon out in the sun. "This feels so comfortable." Kaoru mumbled into her blanket. She reminded herself that she needed to wash up and eat before resting.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack." Mr. Kamiya smiled. He was happy to have his daughter back home again. Since his wife passed away so many years ago, he felt lonely once Kaoru left for school. He slid her door closed behind him and made his way to the stairs. He stopped at the top step when he realized he forgot to ask her a question. "Hey, Kaoru?" He knocked and opened the door without waiting for a reply. "...I have a class to instruct tonight so it's going to be loud downstairs. Will you be able to slee-" But Kaoru's abrupt snore cut him short. She had fallen asleep the moment her head hit her pillow. He smiled to himself again and shut the lights before leaving her to sleep.

When Kaoru finally awoke, she found herself in the exact same position as when she fell asleep. She was still on top of the blanket and was positioned diagonally across the bed. Since she slept without the blanket she felt chilled. She rubbed her arms as she sat up and her head was pounding with a headache. She hoped she hadn't caught a cold. She stumbled through the darkness of her room to get to her door and she made her way down to the kitchen. After sleeping for so long, she was absolutely ravenous and, judging from the headache, she was also dehydrated. She made her way down and noticed light coming from the kitchen.

"Hi." She said as she trudged in. Her father was already at the table, reading the morning newspaper. He glanced at the time before looking back at her while she collapsed into the chair across from him.

"Hi."

"What day is it?" She asked, groggily. "I feel like I slept for weeks." She ran a hand through her mussed hair. Her mouth was dry and her tongue felt heavy. She immediately poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down. Her father laughed once as he folded the newspaper and set it down.

"You nearly slept for a whole day. It's almost 6 in the morning." He said as he offered Kaoru some milk.

"My sleeping schedule is going to be horrible for the next couple of weeks." Kaoru shook her head as she placed a slice of cheese on some toast and set it in the toaster oven. "At least I don't have school or work anymore so I can sleep as long as I want." After spending many years studying, it was so strange for Kaoru that she had nothing to do for once. She didn't have school...she didn't have work. Nothing.

"Do you _still_ eat your toast with a slice of cheese and jam spread?" Her father scrunched his nose. Kaoru answered his question by taking the raspberry jam out of the fridge.

"Sweet and savory is the best combination." She responded. "Do you still eat your toast burnt?" This time her father was the one who grew defensive.

"Burnt toast is delicious." Kaoru smirked to herself as she took her cheesy toast out of the toaster oven and spread a generous dollop of jam. She really missed these silly talks with her dad.

"While I was at college I tried a chocolate donut with bacon on top." Mr. Kamiya looked shocked.

"That sounds terribly unhealthy." He said.

"Oh, it is." Kaoru did not hesitate to respond. "But it was so delicious." And she took a bite into her breakfast.

"Would you like some coffee too?" He asked as he went to pour himself a little more. Kaoru declined the offer and settled with the milk. "So do you miss your friends back in the states?" He asked as he sat back down and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I do, but I missed my friends here as well. I am glad to be home." Her father smiled, seemingly pleased with her response.

"Do you want to train with the morning class?" He asked and Kaoru shook her head. Her father ran a kendo dojo and taught the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu; a style of sword fighting that was passed from generation to generation.

"I am so out of shape." She sighed heavily.

"Then even more of a reason to join us." He said. Kaoru said she would join once she trained on her own to get back into it. "Alright. Well, I have to go. I am going to be late for work." Kaoru looked at her father in disbelief.

"Dad, you just have to go _downstairs_ to get to work." She said. She and her father lived above the dojo. The Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu dojo was so important to her father that he _literally_ couldn't live without it.

"I can still be late." He shrugged and Kaoru rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile gracing her lips. "If you need me, you know where I am." And he left. Kaoru finished her toast and washed the dishes before she made her way back upstairs to wash up. She felt absolutely filthy since she hadn't bathed for nearly two days. She felt better once she stripped her dirty clothes and washed. Relaxing in the hot bath helped ease the pounding headache, but she still felt incredibly groggy.

She spent the rest of the morning unpacking and organizing her room, but by the time 3pm rolled around her eyelids were heavy. She tried her best to stay awake, but she lost the fight and fell asleep. As Kaoru had said, the next couple of weeks were very much the same in that she would struggle to stay awake during the day and would sleep and wake at odd hours. Since she no longer had a schedule to maintain, she spent her days lounging in bed. The only thing that did get Kaoru out of bed was training in the dojo again.

* * *

"Yahiko, your posture is sloppy." Kaoru lightly smacked the young student on his back to straighten his form. "Remember, shoulders back and relaxed, and knees bent."

"Quiet, ugly! I know what I'm doing!" The hotheaded boy hissed in response and Kaoru nearly bonked him on the head. Yahiko was a pupil at the Kamiya dojo since he was 5. At only 12 years old, he was already almost 1 dan. He stood out amongst the others because he worked harder than those older than he was and he was extremely diligent. While she didn't consider him a natural sword fighter like other students, his hardwork made him just as good. Kaoru always thought he was a brat, but she grew to love him as her little brother.

"You know, I thought you would be a little kinder to me since you haven't seen me in a few years!" Kaoru placed a hand on her hip. Yahiko ignored her and swung the sword down onto the practice dummy. He could never admit that he actually did miss her.

"Yeah whatever…how is my form now?" As quickly as it came, Kaoru's annoyance disappeared.

"You're keeping your arms tense as you swing down, but your arms should be relaxed until the very end. You tense your grip only upon impact and then relax it again." Kaoru instructed and showed Yahiko how it was done. "This also helps save energy."

"I get it now. Thanks!" He replied and Kaoru felt herself smile. She just couldn't hate the annoying kid.

"It's late, Yahiko. You better go home. You also have school tomorrow." Mr. Kamiya walked into the dojo and patted the young kid on his spiky head. Despite always bickering with Kaoru, Yahiko obediently listened to her father.

"Did you even get your homework done?" Kaoru suddenly asked. "You've been here since school ended!" Yahiko crossed his arms.

"Learning kendo is more important than school!" He argued and Kaoru nearly bonked him on the head again. He ran away before she could lecture him.

"See you tomorrow, sensei!" Yahiko bid her father farewell, but not without giving Kaoru an arrogant smirk first. Kaoru released a sharp sigh.

"Are you going to apply to his school too?" Her father said as he waved goodbye.

"I already did." She said. Kaoru attended a university in the states as an English major and planned to return to Japan to be a teacher in English. Kaoru sighed again and placed the sword back onto the stand. "I thought starting my career as a teacher could begin by teaching in our town."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Mr. Kamiya said. "Have you heard back from any of the schools? Where did you apply?"

"So far I've only applied to the middle schools and grade schools in our town, and in the surrounding areas. I haven't looked at high schools. And no, I haven't heard any replies to my application just yet." Kaoru said. She wasn't disappointed because she knew these matters took time, luck, and patience.

"Well, that's alright." Mr. Kamiya gave his daughter a comforting pat on the head. Kaoru waited while her father began to close up the dojo for the night.

"Wouldn't it be such a laugh if I became Yahiko's teacher? I can already imagine the look on Yahiko's face. I'd give him extra homework just for the heck of it." Kaoru grinned mischievously.

"You know he wouldn't do it."

"Not if I threatened to take away his kendo lessons." Kaoru's grin grew more sinister that even her father had to sigh.

"...I'm sure you'll make a great teacher..." His voice was heavily laced with sarcasm. He was just SO proud of his daughter.

* * *

Kaoru finally got out of the little funk she was in. Not that it was really a _funk_, but Kaoru had to adjust being home again after so many years away. Now that she settled back into her old room and her sleeping schedule was back on track, she decided to get out of the house and visit some old friends.

Kaoru made her way down a busy street and looked for a familiar blue roofed building. Unlike the other buildings in the neighborhood, this particular building was rather old-fashioned. The wood was old and the paint chipped, but this was all a part of its charm. She could immediately smell the scent of cooked beef and hot pot as she made her way inside.

"Welcome to the Akabeko! OH-!" Sekihara Tae, an old school mate and good friend of Kaoru's, put a hand to her lips in surprise when Kaoru walked into the restaurant.

"Wow! This place hasn't changed at all! Thank goodness." Kaoru sighed a breath of relief. The Akabeko was like a second home to her. "You look like you're doing well, Tae!" Kaoru smiled brightly as her friend immediately pulled her into a tight hug.

"Since when were you back home?" Tae asked, keeping her hands on Kaoru's shoulders as she stepped back to get a good look at Kaoru.

"It's already been a couple months." Kaoru admitted sheepishly. "I spent most of the time being lazy and lying in bed. So I needed to get out a little." Kaoru laughed. "I have also been craving your family's hot pot since it's the season for it now!" She said. The grass was beginning to glisten from dew and ice in the mornings. It was getting colder and hot pot was the perfect meal during the cold temperatures.

"You look so good, Kaoru!" Kaoru blushed at her friend's compliment and swatted her hand. Tae and Kaoru had been good friends since grade school. Unlike Kaoru, who decided to attend a university, Tae took over her family restaurant, the Akabeko. She was now running it full time on her own. Back in high school, Kaoru used to help around in the restaurant during school breaks.

"How are your parents?" Kaoru asked as she and Tae sat down at a table. Tae offered her some hot tea.

"They're doing well. My father and mother still work on the weekends when it gets much busier. I'm typically on my own during the week." Tae smiled.

"I'll be sure to stop by and greet them then. And I'm sure your sister must be so big now!" Kaoru mentioned, setting down the tea cup.

"Tsubame? Yeah, she is already in middle school!"

"I can imagine how big she has grown. That brat from the dojo is so big now. I think he and Tsubame are the about the same age." Kaoru grinned. Tae put a hand to her cheek in thought.

"Do you mean Yahiko? He and Tsubame are classmates. He told me he trains at your father's dojo." Kaoru looked surprised and the cup paused at her lips.

"That brat comes here? For what?" She asked, putting the cup back down, and Tae laughed to herself.

"I think he's got a little crush on Tsubame." A large grin suddenly appeared on Kaoru's face and Tae shook her head to herself.

"Don't tease him too much about it, Kaoru." She said, firmly. Tae pretended to scold her friend, but she was far from upset. She was extremely happy to see Kaoru again. Kaoru might have been gone for six years, but it felt like she never left. Their conversation was taking off so easily.

"So were you able to get some teaching experience while you were over there?" Tae took another sip of her tea which reminded Kaoru to finish her own.

"I did and it was so much fun. I can hardly wait to become a full-time teacher. I already applied to the schools in our area."

"Oh, that's going to be fun!" Tae perked. "Do you think you will like teaching at our old school?" Tae asked and Kaoru shrugged in response.

"I can't say. I'll just have to wait and see." Kaoru felt anxious just thinking about the future. It made _anyone_ feel anxious. "I want to work soon, but I also want to enjoy the feeling of still being a kid. You know, feeling free of stress." Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek and Tae sighed.

"I can understand that. As much as I love the restaurant, I want a day off sometimes too." Kaoru opened her mouth to speak again, but Tae suddenly straightened her back and looked alert. It was as if an internal alarm clock set off inside her. Kaoru blinked in surprise at her sudden change in behavior. "Sorry Kaoru, school is over. That means the next wave of customers are going to be coming in! I've got to get back to work." Kaoru glanced at the time and Tae was right on the dot.

"You really are cut out for the restaurant business." Kaoru said in slight amazement. It was definitely her calling.

"I'm short on staff so I've got to prepare quickly." Tae said and Kaoru looked around. She did notice that Tae seemed to be the only waitress at the moment. Kaoru set down the tea cup.

"Should I stick around and help?" She offered while she stood and dusted off her legs. Tae tried to stop her, but Kaoru was already making her way to the back room.

"I've got the free time." Kaoru was already searching for an apron. "I know you have extra uniforms in the closet." She rummaged through the closet.

"I can't ask you to help out..." Tae said and Kaoru looked at her. Despite Tae's resistance, she made no physical movement to stop Kaoru.

"You're not asking me. I'm choosing to stay and help." Kaoru replied.

"I really can't thank you enough..." Tae held her hands together with slight guilt. Kaoru passed her friend a reassuring smile.

"You take the orders and I'll bring the food to the tables." Kaoru tied her hair in a ponytail. "You can pay me later with food." She laughed.

"Of course!" Tae said and practically pushed Kaoru to get dressed. Kaoru changed into an extra uniform and was tying the apron around her waist when she walked back out to the front of the restaurant. She was surprised to see that there were already three tables seated.

_Wow. _Kaoru thought and noticed that Tae was already scurrying around. Kaoru did one last check on her apron and quickly went to work. Even though she hadn't worked there for some time, she still remembered everything. Within minutes, the restaurant was packed with students. The Akabeko was quite popular in their town due to the food being delicious and extremely affordable. It had also been around for so long that the townspeople just loved the place. There was never a slow day at the Akabeko.

"Kaoru, that table would like some more water." But Tae didn't even have to remind her because Kaoru already had the pitcher in her hand.

"I've got it!" She smiled. Kaoru headed over to the customer sitting at a table by the far wall. "Would you like some more water?" She asked as she went to refill his empty cup. From the corner of her eye, Kaoru caught the customer looking at her.

"Hm? Are you new here? I don't recognize you, little lady." Kaoru was pouring water for the customer when she looked up to face a male student, who appeared to only be in high school. She almost laughed because she was older than he was, but he was definitely larger overall. Even though he was sitting and she was standing, they almost stared eye to eye.

"I suppose that does make me a little lady." Kaoru laughed to herself.

The student looked like a mischievous trouble maker. He was tall and had the body of a fighter. Kaoru could make out the slight bruises and callouses along his knuckles. Either he was training to be a fighter or he got into a lot of fights at school. On his handsome face was a smirk. It wasn't a challenging or rude kind of smirk, but a friendly, however still mischievous, smirk.

Kaoru finished pouring the water and stepped back. It was then she noticed that he was not alone at the table. Sitting across from him was another male student. This one didn't look mischievous, but rather more intimidating_. _She hadn't noticed him at first, but now he was all she could focus on. Something about him made her suck in a breath.

Kaoru took a moment to stare at the student. She was shocked to find that unlike his friend, he was smaller, more slender, but had a more threatening nature about him. His hair was a curious shade of brown with hints of red. The color reminded her of fallen leaves in the midst of autumn. His hair was long, tied in a high ponytail much like hers. His eyes were downcast, but she managed to catch their color. _Gold._ She couldn't quite see his face, but she could make out that he was also rather handsome. If anything, she would say he was more beautiful, really. She blinked when she noticed a curious cross shaped scar on his cheek. She took another step back. Kaoru guessed these kids must have been delinquents.

"I'm not new...just helping out an old friend for a bit." Kaoru finally explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, thanks." The student said, lifting the glass of water to his eye level as if saluting her.

"Of course." She said and couldn't help but glance at his friend one last time before she went to leave. He had not said a word nor moved once. Kaoru began to turn away when someone called out her name.

"Kaoru?" Kaoru looked over her shoulder and smiled brightly when she saw who called her name.

"Oh! Tsubame!" Tae's younger sister came running to her and hugged her around the waist. "You have grown so much! And you look so cute!" She said, touching the girl's school uniform. Kaoru used to change Tsubame's diaper and now she was in junior high school. Amazing how quickly time flew. Tsubame was the personification of the word 'cute'. Kaoru was always secretly jealous of Tsubame's large, round eyes and small face framed by a short bob. She was small, petite, and girly. She was also one of the sweetest people she ever met.

"Are you back for good?" Tsubame asked with a hopeful expression and Kaoru simply nodded.

"How have you been?" Kaoru asked as she and Tsubame moved away from the tables and to the side.

"I've had to study a lot lately, which is why I can't help out in the restaurant as much." Tsubame looked sorry that she was unable to help and Kaoru patted her on the head.

"That's alright. For a girl your age, studying is way more important. I'll help your sister while I'm here." Kaoru said and Tsubame told her she was happy she was back again. Tsubame stopped by the restaurant to let her sister know she was safe before she had to run off to study. Kaoru bid her farewell and went back to work.

Eventually the rush of customers died down until there were only a few tables left. Kaoru was able to finally take a moment to breathe. They only had a couple hours or so before the next wave of customers would filter in for dinner. Kaoru went to quickly clean and wipe down the tables before the next set of customers arrived.

"Thanks again, little lady." A voice said and Kaoru turned around. The two delinquent looking students were making their way out of the restaurant. _Well, they have manners… _She thought to herself.

"Please come again." She smiled and once again a smirk appeared on the rooster's face. The taller of the two had a hair style that reminded her of a rooster and so she settled to use that as his nickname. She couldn't help but glance at his red-haired friend once more and this time she caught his gaze. "I hope you enjoyed your meal." She said and she felt herself curl her toes. Why she did this? She did not know. Kaoru watched as the two left and she released a heavy breath.

_That guy makes me feel like I'm standing on egg shells. _She thought to herself. Kaoru didn't think much of it since she had to go right back to work.

The dinner rush was even busier than lunch, but Tae and Kaoru managed just fine. By the end of the night the both of them were exhausted, but Kaoru had to admit it was fun.

"Thanks again, Kaoru. You were a huge help." Tae said, handing her a tall glass of cold water. Kaoru thanked her and gulped back the cool liquid. She was extremely thirsty from running around.

"What time should I come in tomorrow?" She asked, wiping the spilled water on her chin and Tae began to argue, but Kaoru stopped her. "I promised your sister I would help you." Tae was about to refuse again, but Kaoru was quick to speak again "I'll help out until your waitress comes back from vacation." And so Tae had no choice but to ask Kaoru to come in the next day, and the next, and the next...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Kaoru...?" Kaoru was wiping down a table when Tae approached her with a neatly tied bundle. "...I need you to make a delivery." Kaoru dropped the rag and frowned in confusion.

"Delivery? We don't do deliveries..."

"We don't." Tae smiled. "...but this customer is an exception." Kaoru then grinned mischievously and nudged her friend in the gut.

"Ooooh? A special customer! A secret lover perhaps?" She teased.

"Not a secret lover, but definitely a special customer." Tae smacked Kaoru on the shoulder. "Here is his address. And let him know the meal is on the house." She said, handing her a folded piece of paper. Kaoru read it over and then nodded once.

"Alright, I'll be back soon then." Kaoru said and took the delivery. The customer's residence was further than she expected and Kaoru regretted that she hadn't worn something thicker than her sweater. Her hands were freezing since she couldn't put them in her pockets. One hand held the delivery while the other held her phone as she followed the map to his apartment. In only a couple of weeks, the weather went from chilly to absolutely frigid. To beat the cold, Kaoru turned down a street and jogged the rest of the way. She was relieved to finally see his apartment complex in the near distance and she jogged a little faster. Kaoru shivered with delight when she entered the apartment elevator and escaped the cold. She felt the blood rushing back to her fingers and she sniffled.

"Himura...8th floor..." She mumbled to herself. "813..." The elevator soon arrived on the 8th floor and she walked down the hall to find his apartment. "813...813..." She repeated. As she searched, she couldn't help but question why Tae would offer delivery for this particular customer. Kaoru knew he must have been a very special exception for her to do so. Tae had many loyal customers, but they never received any special treatment. "Oh! Here!" Kaoru found the apartment. It was the very last one at the end of the hall. The name 'Himura' was written beside the doorbell and she wasted no time to ring it. She patiently waited and could hear the very faint sound of footsteps approach the door. The door opened with a 'click' and Kaoru immediately bowed.

"I'm here with your delivery from the Akabeko!" Kaoru greeted the customer and then stood upright. Upon finally meeting the _special _customer, she fell silent and blinked in surprise. "...ah..." She faltered. "...I..."

Standing in the doorway was the student with the gold colored eyes. He was the last person she expected to see so she was shocked to meet him there. She hadn't seen him for weeks and she never imagined she would see him again in such a situation. It was so unexpected that she was left speechless. Kaoru took that moment to glance around. Perhaps she made a mistake? What was she doing delivering food to a high school student? Not to mention he lived in an extremely nice apartment complex. Perhaps the delivery was for his parents? He stared at her while she looked around in confusion.

Kaoru glanced at him again and noticed that he was still dressed in his school uniform. His jacket was off and his shirt buttons were half undone, but she could tell it was his uniform. He stood holding the door slightly open and his hand was still on doorknob. Not wanting the food to get cold, Kaoru quickly handed the delivery to him.

"Please enjoy your meal, Himura-san. The meal is on the house." Kaoru smiled and went to give him a bow when he suddenly spoke. Kaoru froze in place.

"Come inside." He said. His voice was so low that she thought she misunderstood him. Even though it seemed like it was a request, he made it sound more like a demand and Kaoru feared what would happen if she refused. He stared at her through the curtain of his bangs as he stepped aside so she could enter. Kaoru held her breath when he brushed her shoulder as he shut the door behind her. "Wait here." Another demand and he stepped further inside. She watched as he set the food on his kitchen table and disappeared into what she assumed was his bedroom.

Despite being a pretty big apartment, she couldn't find evidence of a whole family living there. She wondered if his intimidating character was because he was a member of the yakuza. Was he threatening Tae? Is that why he received special treatment? Is that why he could afford to live in such a nice apartment...because he swindled money out of people?

Her imagination was running wild. She stepped back so she could make a run for it if he tried to do anything. Kaoru was sure to rest her back against the doorknob so she knew exactly where it was in case she had to make a quick grab for it. _With a face like that I'm sure he cons a lot of women too..._ She thought and then again she wondered if Tae was being taken advantage of. Kaoru suddenly stiffened when he reappeared and she noticed he held a coat in his hands. He handed it to her without a word and she stared at it as if it were a two-headed snake.

"I-is this for me to...wear?" She hesitated and she glanced at him again. When he didn't speak, Kaoru assumed she was right and put on the heavy coat. It was large, but extremely warm. Kaoru looked at him again. His kind and considerate gesture had thrown her off guard. "...thank you." She said, quietly. He saw her out and as Kaoru left the apartment she thanked him again. "I'll stop by to drop this off." She said and thanked him one last time. As she bowed, she heard him close the door, and when she stood upright all she could do was stare at his name plate in bewilderment.

Eventually she came back to her senses and made her way back to the elevators. To push the button for the elevator she had to pull back the sleeves since they went well past her fingers. Wearing his coat made her feel small, both literally and figuratively. As ridiculous as it sounded, wearing his coat made her feel like he was watching her and she felt incredibly shy. As she walked back, she snuggled deeper into the hood, shielding herself from the harsh wind. She could smell the scent of some soap, or maybe cologne.

As expected, Tae held a look of surprise when Kaoru walked in suddenly wearing a strange coat. Kaoru explained what happened and Tae laughed.

"As expected of Kenshin." She said and Kaoru repeated the name to herself.

"Who is he, Tae? He isn't using you, is he?" Kaoru asked with concern and Tae gave her a look of astonishment.

"Don't be ridiculous! He would never!" She swatted a hand. "I am forever in debt to Kenshin and Sanosuke." She said in a matter of fact tone and made her way to the back. Kaoru hurriedly followed behind her.

"Why are you forever in his debt? What happened?" Kaoru was relentless and Tae sighed.

"I suppose I expected you would ask me..." She said and put up her hands. "Now don't be concerned! Everything is alright now." Tae tried to reassure Kaoru, but this only made her feel more concerned.

"Well of course if you say that I'm going to be worried!" Kaoru exclaimed and Tae tried to hush her.

"A couple years ago this group of men in some fancy suits came in here with a fat checkbook." Tae put her hand on her hip. "They wanted to buy the restaurant off me so they could have the land."

"You..." Kaoru started.

"And of course I refused!" Tae looked angry just thinking about it. "They came back every day for a month demanding that I sell the Akabeko!" Tae grew more heated and began to slap her palm as if emphasizing her frustration. "Then finally they sent a couple of thugs to come in here and tear the place apart. If money wasn't going to work then they thought threats would get me to agree."

"I can't believe it..." Kaoru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did you call the police?"

"Of course I did! But they were slow to respond and the restaurant was pretty much already destroyed. Dishes were shattered and tables were overturned...!" Kaoru gasped in response. Tae paused for a moment and a look of confusion came across her face. "All the customers had run out except for Kenshin and Sanosuke. They just sat there calmly, eating casually as if everything was normal." Tae said and Kaoru also frowned in confusion.

"I don't understand..." She said.

"Neither did the thugs. They thought the two of them were being smug so they threatened to beat them!" Tae said.

"Don't tell me the two of them were hurt?" She exclaimed and Tae snorted.

"Kenshin and Sano were just fine. It was the group of thugs who got hurt!" And Kaoru was officially confused. "It was like a movie, Kaoru..." Tae became breathless. "Suddenly Kenshin and Sanosuke were flying across the restaurant, beating up every single one of those crooks! There were at least 20 of them, but Kenshin and Sano took them down with no problem." Tae's eyes twinkled. "Kenshin was flipping and jumping over them, and Sanosuke was punching the living daylights out of those guys..."

"What?" Kaoru exclaimed loudly.

"Then the police finally came and arrested them, but the thugs _still_ threatened to come back..." Tae looked at Kaoru dead in the eye. "...but the best part of all this was when Kenshin told them that if they ever returned, he couldn't say what would happen to them next time." Tae let out a hoot of laughter. "I've never seen grown men so afraid for their lives, Kaoru. Even the police were quiet." Kaoru could hardly believe her ears.

"...wait...but...but these are high school students we're talking about...right, Tae?" Kaoru said and Tae nodded as if it were no big deal. "What are they...? Modern day super heroes or something?" Kaoru threw her arms in the air at the absolute audacity of it all.

"Well believe the story or not, I am forever in their debt and every meal is always on the house." Tae placed a hand to over her heart. "They _saved_ me, Kaoru. They _saved_ the Akabeko. They were the town heroes." Tae smiled, appearing proud. "If you don't believe me you can ask your father. He knows all about it too. The whole town does!" Tae said as she folded some clean dish towels. Tae appeared to be in a happier mood and hummed to herself. Kaoru looked down at the coat she was still wearing and her heart began to skip.

* * *

"Dad? I'm home." Kaoru returned from another busy night of working at the Akabeko. She trudged into the kitchen and collapsed into the chair across from him. Her father saved her a plate of food which she immediately dug into.

"Another busy day?" He asked and she somehow muffled a response despite all the food in her mouth. He simply chuckled and continued to watch the news on the small television they kept in the kitchen. Kaoru slowly chewed on some rice and she noticed her father was still dressed in his training uniform. She was suddenly reminded of Tae's story and Tae even said her father knew what happened. She was just so curious to know who this _Himura Kenshin _was.

"Hey..." She began, crumbs fell from her lips. "...do you know who Himura Kenshin is? And who Sagara Sanosuke is?" Her father looked at her.

"Oh, so you heard the story of their heroics?" He asked and Kaoru sat up.

"So then it's true?" Her voice increased a couple pitches and her father folded his arms.

"Of course it is. Tae was lucky those two were there at the right moment."

"But why?" Kaoru wanted her father to elaborate.

"If anybody could fight a gang of thugs, it's those two."

"Are they famous or something?" She asked and her father looked at his daughter as if she had grown a second head.

"Don't you remember him?" He asked and Kaoru was surprised by this. "Himura Kenshin...don't you remember him?" He asked again. Kaoru's heart skipped.

"...do I know him?" She asked in bewilderment. Her father slightly shook his head.

"Well no, but you know _of _him. Does the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu sound familiar to you at all?" He asked and Kaoru nodded.

"Of course it does. When we went to the national tournament you introduced me to the last master. He said he didn't want to teach that style of fighting anymore because it was too _violent_." Kaoru made quotation marks with her fingers. Her father nodded his head and muted the television since it began to distract him.

"That's right. Well, Himura Kenshin was his last pupil _and_..." He said. "...he was the world kendo federation champion by the time he was 14." Kaoru's bottom jaw slightly dropped. "He stopped competing a couple years ago though...it's quite a shame." Kaoru dropped her spoon causing it to clatter loudly.

"What? He's _that _Himura Kenshin? They are the same person?" She gasped. Kaoru vaguely remembered seeing his face in the newspaper. At the time, she thought he was just a lucky punk who dedicated too much of his time to kendo. She could admit now that maybe she was a little jealous, but she was still amazed by his natural talent. To any person in the street, Himura Kenshin was just another average guy, but, in the Kamiya household, and anyone who knew anything about kendo, knew that he was a legend. He was the first minor in history to ever win the world kendo championship. Maybe that was why she couldn't get him out of her thoughts. Maybe she was trying to remember where she knew him from.

"As for Sanosuke, he comes from a line of famous fighters. He has also won a few titles and championships. Nothing I am too familiar with though." He said. Kaoru scratched the back of her neck.

"What the heck are they doing in a small town like ours? I would think they would be travelling the world and doing more if they have such natural talent..." Kaoru said and her father shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? But I respect that they choose to finish high school first." He said and Kaoru leaned back in her chair. Her food was long forgotten. Her father unmuted the television and continued to watch the news.

What an unexpected turn of events. Who knew that a couple of kids who she thought were just some delinquents were actually legends in the martial arts world? Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek and actually felt ashamed that she had judged them both so quickly.

Kaoru finished her meal and washed the dishes then made her way back up to her room. Upon entering her room, she leaned against her door and immediately glanced at Kenshin's coat that hung against the far wall. It had already been a couple days since she went to his apartment to make the delivery. She made sure to wash and iron his coat before she returned it to him, but she wasn't sure how and when she would. She tried to decide if she should go back to his apartment or to wait for him to come to the Akabeko.

"I did tell him I would drop it off..." She said to herself and then sighed. Tomorrow was a Saturday, so she knew he wouldn't be in school. Kaoru contemplated dropping off his coat sometime in the morning, which made it more likely that he would be home. Kaoru put a hand to her chest. Her heart was beginning to beat more heavily again and she just couldn't understand why. Maybe she was nervous because she had met a legend. "That's probably it...he is the closest thing to a celebrity I've ever met." And she wondered if she should ask for his autograph. She quickly decided against it since she thought that would be a little awkward. Kaoru made the final decision to drop off his coat in the morning. So she neatly folded his coat and placed it into a bag, putting it right by her door so she wouldn't forget it. It was getting late and she needed to sleep if she was to wake up early in the morning.

Kaoru washed up and lay comfortably in bed, but she just couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned for hours because she kept imagining Kenshin fighting a whole group of men like it was out of a movie. Nothing she did would help her sleep. By the time she finally started to drift off, it was already nearly 4 in the morning. She managed to get about 3 hours of sleep in. When she awoke, she looked like she had been hit by a truck twice. After some breakfast and a shower to wake her up, she managed to make herself appear at least a bit decent. She made sure to dress warmly and grabbed the bag with his coat before taking off. She remembered how to get to his apartment and made it there in about 15 minutes of walking at a leisurely pace. She was looking forward to meeting him again now that she knew who he really was.

When she arrived at his door she dusted herself off, fixed her hair, and then cleared her throat. Then, she rang the doorbell and waited. And she waited some more. She rang his doorbell again and waited. She knocked and still waited. She even checked to make sure she had the right apartment. Kaoru tilted her head and then tried to knock again. Either he was a very deep sleeper or he was already out so early on a Saturday morning.

"I thought students would typically sleep in on the weekends...where could be have gone?" She muttered to herself and scratched the back of her neck. She didn't want to just leave the bag there since someone could take it. She didn't have a pen and paper to leave a note either. "I guess I'll have to come back later..." She said and decided to go to a nearby café and wait a couple hours before trying again. Kaoru got back into the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor.

"Where could he be at such an early hour?" She said to herself and glanced at the time. It was close to 8:30 in the morning. It wasn't _really_ that early, but she imagined high school kids liked to sleep in and laze around on Saturday mornings. She certainly did as a high school student.

When the elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened, all her questions were answered. Kaoru jumped back in shock. He stood at the doors on the first floor, waiting to take the elevator up.

An "Oh!" managed to escape her lips. Kenshin took one glance at her and then stepped on, pressing the button for the 8th floor without speaking a word. Kaoru did not get off and instead followed him back up. He kept his attention focused on the doors while she stared at him in bewilderment.

Judging by his appearance, Kaoru guessed he had just returned from working out. She caught a whiff of his soap, or cologne, mixed with a hint of sweat. His bangs looked slightly disheveled and his shirt was damp with sweat. Kaoru realized how rude it was of her to stare and cleared her throat.

"G-good morning." She began and the elevator arrived on his floor. The doors opened and he stepped off without waiting for her. Kaoru called his name again and followed him. "I-I'm here to return your coat!" She said as he unlocked his door and swung the door open wide. It was as if he was giving her permission to enter his apartment without actually saying it. Kaoru caught the door before it closed behind him and held the it open, but remained standing in the doorway. "I came by with the delivery from the Akabeko...I'm just dropping off your coat." She said. She thought he might have forgotten who she was. Kenshin stepped into the living room and Kaoru was able to see him if she slightly strained her neck. He glanced at her.

"Close the door." Another one of his demands. Kaoru looked at the door and then at the bag she held in her hands, then at him again before she stepped in and the door shut behind her. Hearing the door close made her feel like she had just sealed her fate, as if she was forever trapped.

"Where should I put your coat?" She asked, tilting her head to see him better. A protruding wall slightly blocked her view. Kaoru was soon grateful that there was a wall there because Kenshin decided to strip off his sweaty shirt. Kaoru jumped back so she could no longer see him and tightly shut her lips. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Why was he undressing with a stranger in his apartment? Kaoru nearly scolded herself. What was _she_ doing willingly stepping inside a stranger's apartment? He might have just been a high school student, but that didn't make it any less inappropriate.

Kenshin approached her and Kaoru stiffened when she caught a glimpse of his naked chest. She actually only saw his shoulder, but it was enough to send her into a panic and she glanced up at the ceiling. She loudly cleared her throat.

"You can leave it there." He said and Kaoru then did her best to bend down and place the bag on the floor while keeping her gaze still on the ceiling. It wasn't like she never saw a man's bare chest before. She cleared her throat again and forced herself to look him in the eye.

"Ah...alright. Sure." She managed to say. The bag dropped with a 'plop' and she stood upright. "You shouldn't walk around like that. You'll catch a cold." Kaoru wanted to smack her forehead. Now she was scolding him?

"I'll be fine." He said and she caught the very slight arch of his eyebrow.

"You also shouldn't invite strangers into your home." She continued to scold him. "You don't know if I'm a dangerous person." Kaoru spoke faster than she could think. He smirked slightly at her remark.

"Why? Are going to do something inappropriate?" He cruelly teased and Kaoru choked. It's not like his question was wrong. It was a perfectly logical question to ask at the moment, but it almost sounded like he was testing her. She was the one who started the whole thing because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Kaoru decided she needed to leave quickly. Being near him was dangerous.

"Thank you again for letting me use your coat. It was very kind of you." She said and quickly turned to leave. "Have a good day!" She said a little too loudly and left his apartment in a hurry. Kaoru was positive he didn't follow after her, but she still refused to look back. She pushed for the elevator a few times too many and it felt like it took forever to get to the 8th floor. When elevator doors closed she released a very loud breath and put a hand to her head. "So _that's _the kind of person he is. I knew I had to follow my gut instinct. He might have saved Tae, but I bet he just wanted an excuse to beat those men!" Kaoru was pacing back and forth in the elevator. She felt herself overheating, probably from feeling so annoyed. How could she let a high school punk get to her like that? He seemed a bit reckless, inviting her into his apartment and taking off his shirt. "And who beats up a whole gang of crooks?" Kaoru folded her arms across her chest and nodded to herself. "I'll tell Tae what he really is!" She huffed. "Glad I never have to deal with _him_ again!" She said, confidently, but little did she know...that wasn't true at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Don't be ridiculous, Kaoru." Tae laughed as she wiped down the dirty tables. Kaoru went to the Akabeko after it closed so she could tell Tae what happened.

"I'm not kidding, Tae! He's just a delinquent! Probably even a playboy! Who just takes off their shirt in front of a female like that? How could he just beat up a whole gang of men?" Kaoru followed Tae around the restaurant.

"I can understand why you think he might look like a delinquent. He rarely speaks and his appearance is certainly different, but he is a nice person!" Tae said. "I've known Kenshin for a couple years now and he's a good guy." Tae said and Kaoru snorted.

"That's what he _wants_ you to think." She said and Tae shrugged.

"Maybe he is only like that around you then? I've never heard anyone speak ill of Kenshin." And Kaoru frowned to herself.

"Me? Why me?" She asked and Tae shrugged again.

"Maybe he doesn't like you?" She said and Kaoru felt upset by that. What reason did he have to dislike her? "Well it doesn't change the fact that he is still a special customer." This time Kaoru remained quiet. She couldn't deny that he did help Tae and saved the restaurant. At least she would give him that. Whatever problem or issue he had with Kaoru was a different matter.

"Besides taking off his shirt in front of you, which he has every right to do in his own apartment, what wrong has he done to you?" Tae said and Kaoru could not respond. Technically she was right. Kaoru couldn't hate someone just because he teased her a little.

"I guess it's not like I'm going to see him again anyway." Kaoru said and Tae agreed.

"See? No problem. So don't worry so much about it."

"…alright...I guess you're right." Kaoru agreed reluctantly. "You always had to be the logical one and make me feel bad." Kaoru crossed her arms and Tae smiled.

"He is still just a high school student. Guys his age can be mischievous." Kaoru tried to see Tae's reasoning and she figured she was right. Maybe she was overreacting.

Kaoru eventually bid Tae goodbye and returned home. Kaoru decided that she would release all her annoyance during training and that would be the end of it. She would never think of him or see him again.

* * *

Now that the Akabeko didn't need Kaoru's help any longer, she was back to lounging around at home. She tried to focus on training, but there was only so much she could do to pass the time. The days that passed just seemed to jumble into one and eventually she felt like she lost track. She started to consider asking Tae if she could help out at the restaurant again because she needed something to do. She was starting to go a little insane.

As if fate was smiling at her, Kaoru received a phone call one afternoon. When she answered she was surprised to hear a voice she had not heard in many, many years.

"Sensei?" She asked in disbelief. It was her old homeroom teacher from middle school. She could recognize his voice anywhere. She was very happy to hear from him, but why was he calling her?

"Listen, Kaoru. Would you be able to meet me tomorrow afternoon? I know its last minute, but-"

"Of course! Where should I meet you, sensei?" She still didn't know why he was calling her, but she was happy to meet him nonetheless. He asked her to meet him tomorrow at a neighborhood cafe. He would be there by 2 in the afternoon.

When she entered the cafe, Kaoru spotted him immediately. His once jet black hair now had grey streaks running through it and there were wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. Even so, he still looked the same. He greeted her with a smile that made her feel nostalgia.

"It's good to see you, sensei." Kaoru greeted him and he patted her on the back.

"Good to see you too, Kaoru. Thanks for meeting me." They sat down and her old teacher shook his head.

"Look at how much you've grown." He said and she smiled shyly.

"You look great yourself, sensei." She said.

"I'm not a sensei anymore." He laughed. "I'm the principal now!" Kaoru's eyes widened and she clapped her hands.

"Congratulations, sensei! That's great! I'm so glad to hear you're still there." Just as she remembered, he was a rather shy guy. He laughed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. "Wow, many things must have changed?"

"It's been quite a long time. How old are you now? 24? 25?" He tried to count the number of years.

"I'll be turning 24 in a couple months." She said and he nodded.

"Ah, that's right. I remember you had a late birthday so you were always one of the youngest in the class." He said and Kaoru was surprised he remembered all that.

"I remember all my students." He said as if she insulted him and Kaoru found that admirable. "What would you like to drink? I'll get it for you." He offered, but Kaoru quickly refused.

"No, no! Let me get something for you, sensei!" Kaoru said, but he insisted. So she asked for a small cappuccino and he got himself a regular straight black coffee.

"You must be wondering why I asked you here." He said and she nodded in response. She was nervous and curious to know why he called her there. She took a sip of her drink to calm her. "Well, I bumped into your father last week and he told me that you applied for a position as an English teacher." Kaoru's heart began to skip.

"Yes, I did!" She said, sounding hopeful.

"I looked and found your application. Our third year English teacher is leaving soon for maternity leave. She'll be out for about 6 months." He glanced at her. "It's only temporary, but...we do need someone." He said and Kaoru jumped on board without a moment of hesitation.

"Of course!" She exclaimed loudly.

"I've already discussed it with the board and received their approval. They thought you being an old student of the school could also send a good message to the current students." He said and Kaoru wanted to jump from the chair. "Some of the members also have children who train under your father so I'm sure that helped with the approval." He admitted.

"I am so grateful, sensei!" Kaoru wanted to cry of absolute happiness. She also needed to go home and give her father a big ol' kiss.

"I'm only sorry it's not a permanent position." He said, but Kaoru didn't care because she knew it was a good start.

"I'm so happy! When should I come in?"

"Well, we'll need you to come by maybe next week so we can explain a bit more and even discuss your wage...but I'd say we'll need you to start by the beginning of next month." And Kaoru shook his hand to seal the deal. Kaoru spent the next few minutes thanking him repeatedly until she was sure he was sick of her.

* * *

"DAD!" Kaoru yelled loudly when she entered the house and for a moment, he thought he was in big trouble. She approached him with such determination that he thought she was going to attack him.

"Uh oh, what did I do?" He flinched when she suddenly swung her arms. She surprised him when she tightly wound her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"You're amazing!" She squealed and he responded with a laugh of happiness and relief.

"Oh, this must be about your old teacher? He told me he would contact you soon." He said and Kaoru told him what happened. "We have to celebrate!"

"To the Akabeko!" They said in unison because going to the Akabeko to celebrate was family tradition.

* * *

"Congratulations to Kaoru achieving her dream!" Tae raised a glass that was filled to the brim with sake. "It's only temporary, but it's a good start!" Tsubame clapped her dainty hands.

"But this could open many more doors for you, Kaoru sensei!" Tsubame said and it almost brought a tear to Kaoru's eye.

"What a good student! Already calling me senseiiii!" Kaoru pushed her cheek against Tsubame's as she hugged her. Tsubame squealed a bit. Kaoru was a little drunk, even though she only drank _one_ small cup of sake. She did not have a very high alcohol tolerance.

"Tsubame, please keep Kaoru in check while she is there." Kaoru's father asked and Kaoru glared at him.

"Hey! I am a very responsiblee and level headed personnn!" She slurred a bit. Behind Kaoru's back, Tsubame gave Mr. Kamiya a silent promise.

"I'm sure Kaoru will be fine." Tae and Tsubame's mother smiled. Their parents were also there to celebrate the good news. "I'm proud of you, Kaoru." She said and Kaoru sniffled while she also hugged her tightly.

"I don't know...Kaoru took after her mother." Tae's father said who was a close friend of the Kamiya's. He turned to Kaoru's father and gave his old friend a pat on the back. "It must have been tough..." He said with sympathy and Kaoru's father drank to that.

"I'm going to be a teacherrrr~ weeeeee~!" Kaoru slurred and suddenly collapsed against her father's shoulder. Tae glanced at the time.

"I think that's a record! It's been 10 minutes. That's the longest she ever went before passing out." Everyone laughed and her father sighed loudly. Kaoru began to snore while the rest of them enjoyed their meal.

"Ahhh, as expected, your hot pot is the best." Mr. Kamiya said with a nod of the head and asked for more rice, which Tae happily piled on.

Tsubame was about to take a bite of her food when she noticed a customer walk in. The restaurant was close to closing, but there was only one person she knew who would come in this late. She quickly set down her chopsticks and bounded over to him.

"Kenshin-san!" She smiled brightly and blushed when he gave her a small smile as he looked down at her. He placed a soft hand on her head as a greeting.

"Ah, Kenshin! I was wondering when you would come." Tae said as Tsubame pulled him over to the table. Kenshin politely bowed to her parents.

"Can I get you something?" Tae asked and he refused.

"Just checking that everything is alright." He said and Tae's mother smiled.

"You're too kind, Kenshin. The restaurant has been running well ever since you helped us."

"Why don't you sit with us?" Mr. Kamiya offered. Kenshin turned his attention to him and bowed again.

"How are you, sensei?" He asked and Mr. Kamiya nodded.

"I'm doing well. It's been a long time, Himura." Kenshin nodded once. He was calm and collected as usual, just as Kaoru's father remembered. Kenshin's gaze fell to Kaoru, who was still peacefully asleep on her father's shoulder, snoring quietly.

"Just celebrating. Kaoru is going to be the English teacher at the middle school for a few months." Tae answered Kenshin's silent inquiry.

"Please sit and have some tea at least!" Tsubame tugged at his arm.

"Yes, please sit!" Mr. Sekihara insisted and Tae already went to grab him a cup. Kenshin could not refuse and sat where Kaoru's spot once was.

Together they continued to enjoy their meal and enjoyed each other's company. The last of the customers left and only they remained in the restaurant. Kenshin eventually finished his tea and thanked them. Just as he went to leave-despite Tsubame's obvious disappointment- Kaoru abruptly sat up, still half asleep.

"Turn to page threeee~" She mumbled and then collapsed again. Except this time, instead of falling left, she fell over to the right into Kenshin's arms. Kenshin was quick to catch her and Kaoru rested on his shoulder. She went right back to snoozing peacefully. Tae held back a snort of laughter. If only Kaoru knew just who it was she was sleeping on. Mr. Kamiya sighed in embarrassment and went to grab his daughter as he apologized to Kenshin.

"Nooo~" Kaoru grumbled, tightly gripping Kenshin's arm and swatted her father's hand away. Tae held back another snort of laughter. She so badly wanted to snap a picture.

"It's alright, sensei." Kenshin reassured as he stared at Kaoru, who snuggled into his arm. Mr. Sekihara chuckled.

"Like mother, like daughter." He said and Mr. Kamiya handed Kenshin a pair of chopsticks.

"You might as well eat now. You'll be here for a while."

* * *

The next morning Kaoru rolled out of bed with a headache. Her father was reading the paper when she trudged into the kitchen.

"New record." He said, keeping his attention on the newspaper and pushed a cup of water towards her.

"How long?" She asked and gulped it back.

"Ten minutes." He said.

"Ten minutes?" She repeated. "Wow...the first time I lasted only 2 minutes." She sat down and groaned.

"Maybe it will be 12 minutes next time." Kaoru groaned again.

"No way. There won't be a next time."

"That's what you said _last time._" And Kaoru pursed her lips.

"I mean it this time."

"Mmhm." He did not sound very convinced.

"Thanks for carrying me home." She said, pushing the hair out of her face.

"I didn't." He said, but Kaoru hadn't heard him because she yawned loudly just at that moment. Her father looked his daughter and then sighed loudly. A father always wanted the best for his daughter and he only wanted Kaoru to succeed in life, but how could he feel confident when she looked like…_that?_ He let the paper fall limp in his hands and he sighed again.

Kaoru stood in front of the refrigerator, rummaging through it. She was still in the same clothes she wore yesterday and she obviously hadn't washed up. Her hair was a tangled mess and he flinched when she began to scratch her backside. Kaoru grabbed the carton of milk and some leftovers then closed the fridge door with her foot. She looked at the cold leftovers and for a moment contemplated if she should reheat it. She decided she was too lazy and proceeded to eat it cold. He sighed again.

"What is it…" Kaoru muttered without looking at her father. She knew that sigh. She also knew that he wouldn't stop until she asked him what was wrong.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" He asked and Kaoru choked. She coughed up some rice that sprayed from her mouth and her father sighed again.

"Daad!" She whined.

"I'm just asking!" He defended and this time she was the one who sighed loudly.

"I just received some good news yesterday! Can't you let me enjoy at least one thing in my life that isn't going wrong?" She begged and then began to stab her fork through her food. Her father went quiet, but he still looked at her. Kaoru pursed her lips and grumbled. "No…! I've never had one…" She hated to admit it.

"Not even one?" He was shocked and Kaoru stabbed the food more violently.

"You know, as a father you should be quite happy that I am still…_pure_." They both flinched at the word.

"I don't want my daughter to be a spinster. I do want grandchildren." He said.

"Daad!" She exclaimed again. "You are so embarrassing…"

"What happened? There's nothing wrong with you! How come you never had a boyfriend?" He asked and she looked at him with a tired expression.

"There's nothing wrong with me, dad. I just…never had the time for a boyfriend."

"Isn't high school the time when love is all girls think about?" He said and Kaoru nodded as she began to eat again.

"Of course I thought about it, but I just wasn't interested in any of the boys at school."

"Why? What's wrong with them?" Kaoru shook her head at her father. He knew nothing about girls and love.

"Dad, this town is so small that I knew every guy since we were in diapers."

"So?"

"So? So it would feel like I'm dating a brother…or a cousin or something. There's a reason why we called going to school 'family reunions'." She said.

"Okay, well what about college? No 'family members' there." He asked.

"I was too busy with school. And I had gone so long without a boyfriend that…I guess I didn't think about." She shrugged.

"Okay, okay…" He said. "It's still not too late. You're only 27."

"…I'm 23, dad…" Kaoru said and he appeared hopeful.

"Oh, thank-! Even better!" He released a breath of relief. Kaoru rolled her eyes and groaned loudly.

"Daad…" She whined again, but he cut her off.

"Now I don't believe in forcing people to marry someone they do not love, but I would like it if you married someone who could eventually take over the dojo."

"Dad…" But he continued on.

"And now that I think of it…that reminds me of someone who might be a good candidate! Last night-" Kaoru stopped her father right there and stood from the table.

"Thanks for the pep talk." She said sarcastically. "I'm going to take a shower. Let me know when lunch is ready." She said over her shoulder and left. Mr. Kamiya watched her trudge up the stairs to her room and he released a short sigh.

"Too bad…I was going to tell her about Himura." He shrugged and went back to reading his paper.

* * *

The day had finally arrived. It was her first day as an English teacher at her old middle school. Well…substitute English teacher, but whatever.

"I'm off, dad!" Kaoru said grabbing her bag and made sure she dusted herself off. Mr. Kamiya, still with an apron on, followed his daughter to the front door.

"Here! I made you a lunchbox!" He said and handed her a neatly wrapped lunchbox. Kaoru rolled her eyes when he began to sniffle. "I'm so proud of you." He said.

"I'll be back soon." She smiled and went on her way.

Kaoru arrived to the school extra early. It wasn't on purpose, but she was just so excited that she couldn't wait to get there. This worked in her favor though because she was able to organize her new desk and gather her thoughts. Kaoru made sure to greet all the fellow teachers since they would be working together for the next few months. It appeared that Kaoru had overdressed for the job since the others were dressed more casually, but she wanted to look extra pretty for her first day.

"Are you excited?"

"I can't wait. I couldn't sleep last night." Kaoru clapped her hands. Her teacher was there to introduce her to her new students.

"Alright then! Let's not wait any longer!"

Imagine Yahiko's far from excited expression when Kaoru walked in. The whole class welcomed her and she could already tell they were going to be a good group of kids. She recognized some of them from the dojo as well.

"Good morning, Kaoru-sensei!" Tsubame greeted her which made Yahiko grumble.

"Oh, come now, Yahiko. I promise I won't be too hard on you." She said, but Yahiko knew better than to believe her sweet smile.

"I'm so excited…" He said and Kaoru chuckled. Tsubame, being the sweet girl she was, scolded Yahiko not to be rude. Yahiko blushed and just huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Alright! Why don't we begin by introducing ourselves? I'll begin." She said. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru and I'm going to be your English teacher for the next six months!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Tsubame told me the students really like you." Tae said as she brought Kaoru some extra rice.

"Really? Oh, I'm so glad." Kaoru said as Tae sat across from her. "They are really sweet kids."

"She said you make the lessons fun so it's easier for them to learn." Kaoru wagged her spoon.

"Of course it has to be fun! Remember when we were trying to learn? You can't become fluent in a language from just reading a textbook. It's not effective and it's so boring."

"English was never Tsubame's best subject, but she got a high grade on the last test." Tae smiled.

"I was worried because as a teacher I have to grade fairly. I didn't want to hurt her feelings if I had to give her a low grade, but I was also pleasantly surprised." Kaoru said. "I'm proud of her. Even Yahiko passed his test." She grinned.

"Really? Yahiko did?"

"That brat is so stubborn. When he works hard he does well. All this time I've been trying to tell him that, but he just doesn't listen." Kaoru smacked her lips and shook her head.

"Well, whatever you're doing it's working." Tae replied.

"Sensei also gave me some good news the other day." Kaoru took a sip of water. "Apparently, all the students' test scores in English went up since the last quarter!" She smiled and Tae clapped her hands. Kaoru danced a little as she ate a big spoonful of the rice. Tae watched her scarf down her meal like she hadn't eaten in days.

"Did you get to eat today?" Tae asked. Kaoru choked from eating too quickly and fell into a coughing fit. Tae was quick to hand her a napkin.

"I wasn't able to pack a lunch." She said and gasped for air, while grabbing her cup of water.

"Eat slowly." Tae laughed. "Anyway, you've also been coming here to eat pretty much every night for the past couple of days." Tae mentioned. "Did you get into a fight with your dad?" Kaoru shook her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. If I ever got into a fight with my dad he would cry so much it would flood the town." Kaoru sighed and Tae couldn't help but laugh at the imagery. "My dad went to a kendo tournament. They asked him to be a judge since one of the judges had to cancel at the last second."

"Oh, I see. How long is he gone for?" She asked. Kaoru began to count with her fingers.

"I think...5 or 6 days? He'll be back this Monday. Since he wasn't home I didn't have any time to go shopping for groceries since I had to teach and then run the dojo after." Tae gasped.

"Doesn't your dad run a class early in the morning? That means you've only been getting like 3 or 4 hours of sleep. No wonder you haven't been eating well." Kaoru shook her head to reassure her friend.

"It's okay! I'm fine! It's only for a few days. Since its Saturday tomorrow I'll be able to go to the market and buy some groceries."

"Well make sure you eat properly and make sure you sleep early tonight." Tae scolded. "Do you have to train tomorrow too?" Kaoru nodded.

"Only three classes tomorrow from 8 to 11 in the morning. On Sunday it's the same schedule." Tae tsked and shook her head.

"Maybe you should ask Yahiko to help you."

"He's been helping me a lot actually. I make him lead the kids' classes."

"Oh, that's nice! Good for him...and you." Kaoru leaned back and sighed with content. She was so full.

"This must be what it feels like to be married." Kaoru joked.

"What? Why?"

"Because here I am gobbling down this food you prepared for me and then you lecture me not to work too hard." Kaoru laughed, patting her protruding stomach. "You're the dutiful wife and I'm the fat husband."

"Hah! You're ridiculous." Tae laughed.

"Ugh. Speaking of marriage..." Kaoru sat up. "For the last month my dad has been on my case about finding a boyfriend."

"Join the club. My parents have been on my case for years." Tae groaned.

"I tried to explain to my dad that dating the guys here would be like dating a family member..."

"And they still don't get it..." They both sighed in unison. Tae let her chin fall in her hand.

"To make it worse, it's almost Christmas." Kaoru said.

"The _couple _holiday." Tae added. "Celebrating Christmas alone never bothered me until my parents kept nagging me about being single."

"I guess we'll be spending another Christmas alone and single." Kaoru pursed her lips. "It never bothered me this much before either."

"I'll spend Christmas with you." Tae smiled and Kaoru then slapped the table.

"Next Christmas I will definitely spend it with a guy!" She said. "Definitely. I'll definitely make it happen." Now Kaoru just needed to find a guy who was crazy enough to love her.

* * *

Despite promising Tae she would rest, Kaoru didn't have the chance. She had to wake up early the next morning and open the dojo. Then from 8 to 11 she instructed class. When she finished she had to shower and then make her way to the market. The refrigerator was completely empty except for some eggs and condiments. She wanted to make sure the fridge was filled before her father returned.

Kaoru made herself a fried egg on some toast, since that was pretty much all she had and then headed out. It was particularly chilly that day and Kaoru shivered as she tied her scarf to cover her face. Because it was so cold, the roads were extra icy. Kaoru had to carefully make her way to the store and this slowed down her pace. Since she was going to do a whole week's worth of shopping, she also expected that the bags were going to be heavy to carry. Altogether, walking there and then walking around the store took about an hour. As Kaoru stepped out of the store with all the bags in her hands, she finally felt the exhaustion getting to her.

"Uggghhh." She grumbled to herself as she tried to carry all the bags and shuffle slowly down some steps that led to a side road. What she thought was a shadow was actually black ice and she suddenly slipped. She managed to grip the railing and regained her balance. Slipping on the ice made her heart nearly jump out of her chest. It was pounding so heavily that she needed to catch her breath. Kaoru had to pause midway down the stairs because she began to see black spots in her vision. Lacking sleep on top of the physical exertion that she expended that day was definitely starting to affect her. She blinked to clear her vision and she contemplated sitting on the steps for a bit. She decided she just wanted to get home as soon as possible and continued down the stairs. Kaoru soon regretted this decision because she slipped again and this time she tumbled down the last few steps. She shrieked as she fell and landed on her shoulder. Luckily, she knew to cover her head so she wasn't badly injured, but she would definitely feel it in the morning. She groaned loudly and looked around. Her groceries had spilled from the bags.

"Perfect..." Kaoru went to stand up when she hissed in pain. She looked down at her knee and could see some blood seeping through her pants. She had bashed her knee against the stone step as she toppled over. Her ankle also seemed to have twisted in the process. "Perfect." She said again and carefully crawled to the spilled groceries.

_At least no one saw me. _She thought as she picked up some onions that rolled away. 5 onions. She bought 6. Where was the last one? Kaoru glanced around and found the last one rolled further away. She huffed as she crawled over to pick it up and just as she reached for it, someone bent down and beat her to it. Kaoru's eyes widened.

_Kenshin…!_

Kaoru didn't know what to say. She watched, silently, as he gathered all the spilled groceries. He placed the bags to the side as he bent down again, but this time so he could look at her. Seeing him again was so surreal. She hadn't seen him for nearly two months. His hair looked longer and once again she caught that familiar scent of his. Kaoru's cheeks turned bright pink.

_Oh god...did he see me fall? _She was mortified. He caught her gaze and she noticed that his gaze fell to her cheek. She stiffened when he suddenly reached his hand out and touched the side of her face. She hissed in pain. It looked like she scraped her cheek too.

"Ouch..." She sniffled. Kenshin looked at her knee and then at her ankle. His hands were cold so they felt nice against her throbbing foot.

"Are you alright?" He asked and Kaoru looked at him. His voice made her insides flip.

"Y-yes...I'm fine." She was so embarrassed that she just wanted to get out of there. She rushed to her feet, but of course her ankle gave out and she stumbled. Kenshin gripped her upper arms and steadied her.

"I'll take you to my apartment." He said.

"What?" Kaoru exclaimed and looked up at him. "W-why would I go there?" She put her hands to her chest.

"We need to treat your wounds." He said, calmly. "...are you worried you will do something inappropriate?" And she watched as the barest hint of a teasing smirk graced his lips.

"Why do we have to go to _your _apartment?" She said. She failed to notice that she was still in his arms. Kenshin looked at her as if she exhausted him.

"How far away is your home from here?" He asked.

"About 10 minutes..."

"And with your injuries it will take 20."

"So? How far away is your apartment?" She asked and Kenshin motioned to the left with the tilt of his head. Sure enough, Kaoru could see his apartment complex in the near distance. She bit her bottom lip.

"I'm fine. I'll just go home on my own." She said and pulled herself out of his hold. She immediately faltered again and he held her steady. Kaoru watched as Kenshin's eyebrow arched slightly.

"Okay, fine. I need your help, but we're going to my house!" She said. Without another word, Kenshin helped her to the steps and made her rest against the railing. She watched in confusion as he picked up her bags and then returned to her side.

"Use my arm to support yourself." It was another one of his demands. Kaoru hesitated for a moment and glanced at his arm. He simply looked at her, waiting patiently.

"Thank you." She muttered quietly and gripped his arm with both hands.

As Kenshin predicted, walking with her limp really slowed down their pace. It was going to take more than 20 minutes to get back. Even so, he remained quiet and guided her home. For the entire time, they didn't speak a word to each other. Neither of them made an effort to start a conversation. Kenshin wasn't very talkative and Kaoru simply didn't know what to say. She was too busy trying to calm her rapid heartbeat.

Kaoru was overwhelmed. First, she was exhausted and in pain. Then she bumped into someone she really didn't want to see. Of course he sees her in the most embarrassing circumstance. Then she felt guilty that he was actually extremely considerate. Not only was he holding her heavy groceries _and _supporting her weight, but he was also escorting her home.

Kaoru noticed that her limp was becoming more exaggerated. She hated to admit that she regretted not going to his apartment. It would have been better to go there after all. She was sure that walking on her swollen ankle wasn't helping it. Kenshin suddenly stopped and crouched down.

"Get on." He said and Kaoru's face went red.

"No way!" She panicked and Kenshin glanced at her over his shoulder. His intimidating gaze made her shudder. "...but...but I'm heavy." She hesitated. Still, he said nothing and remained crouched in front of her. Kaoru inhaled sharply and then climbed onto his back before she changed her mind. He lifted her and they continued on. They were certainly moving at a much faster pace now that he was carrying her. "Are you alright? Aren't I heavy? My house is pretty far and you're holding all the bags too-"

"I'm fine." He cut her off and Kaoru bit her lip. She buried her face in his back. She was absolutely mortified. She was so embarrassed that she wished the fall had killed her. Of all the people in the world...it had to be Himura Kenshin. Kaoru rested her head and huffed. She soon found herself dozing on and off and she deeply inhaled that scent of his.

"Um..." She began. "...do you wear cologne?" She asked.

"No."

"Then... soap?" She asked and then blushed. "I-it's just that, you know, its almost Christmas and I have to find something for my father. And, you know, you smell good. I mean! N-not that _you _smell good. Your soap smells good! Not that I smelled you or anything! I just...I just noticed..."

_Smooth, Kaoru. _She smacked her forehead.

"I'll write the name down for you." He said and that was that. Kaoru looked at him and then rested her head again. She stared at the color of his hair as he carried her back. After what felt like hours, Kaoru was relieved when she saw her house. Finally, the awkward tension would end.

"We're nearly there. It's the house that says 'Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu'." She pointed.

They approached her home and Kenshin set her down. As he stood, he stretched his back and she bit her lip with guilt. He was probably exhausted.

"Sorry about making you carry me." She scratched her arm.

"You didn't make me do anything." He said and then motioned towards the door. "Open it." Kaoru noticed that he still had the groceries in his hand.

"You're not thinking of coming in, are you?" She asked.

"Can you bring these inside yourself?" Kaoru looked at the groceries and sighed again.

"Okay, I need your help with that too." She admitted reluctantly. "…but don't you dare think of doing anything weird or something!" She said and Kenshin lifted an eyebrow as if she was an idiot.

"Just open the door." He said and Kaoru pursed her lips before she did so. Kenshin carried the bags into the house and set them down in the kitchen. Kaoru limped in after him and sighed heavily with relief when she sat in a chair.

"Where is your first aid kit?" He asked.

"Upstairs…"

"Where?"

"In the bathroom closet. It's a white plastic box." Kenshin began to walk past her, but Kaoru gripped his arm. "Don't you dare go into my room." She warned and she failed to catch the tiny smirk that appeared on his face. Kaoru waited until he was up the stairs and she crossed her arms. "Isn't he doing too much…?" She said to herself. "_He's a nice guy!" _Tae's words kept swimming through her thoughts. "No one can be _this _kind."

Kenshin returned to the kitchen and began to pull out the bandages and rubbing alcohol from the box. The moment the bottle of rubbing alcohol hit the table, Kaoru grimaced. She _hated_ rubbing alcohol. "This is really going to hurt…" She said as she began to carefully roll up her pant leg. Her wound was worse than she imagined. It was big, red, and angry looking, and her knee swelled to the size of a grapefruit. Kenshin began to soak cotton pads with the alcohol and Kaoru held her breath. She felt herself beginning to panic. Did she mention that she absolutely _hated_ rubbing alcohol? Kenshin crouched in front her and gently touched her knee so he could have a good look at it. He was about to start cleaning the wound when Kaoru put out her hands and stopped him. "Wait, wait, wait!" She exclaimed and released a loud exhale. "I'm not ready!" She wrung her hands.

"I'll count to three." Kenshin said and Kaoru nodded her head as she clenched her teeth and fists.

"Okay…" She sucked in a breath.

"One." And he dabbed the cotton pad on the gash. Kaoru yelped loudly.

"It stings! It stings! It stings!" She cried and frantically tried to fan it. "Blow on it! Can you blow on it?" Kenshin looked at her.

"I thought you were the adult here." He said.

"But it stings!" She said and Kenshin sighed sharply before he gently blew on the wound. Kaoru kept her fists clenched while he continued to clean the wound and blow on it. "That's enough! It's disinfected!" She slapped a hand to her eyes.

"If it doesn't look better in the next few days, go to the doctor." He said and grabbed the bandage.

"I can bandage it myself." Kaoru said. "I already feel bad enough that you carried me home."

"I told you it's alright." He said. Kaoru scratched her neck.

"Yeah, but…it's kind of burdensome, you know? You hardly know me and yet you've gone above and beyond to help me. I hate to keep you here any longer" She admitted. "Not to mention you're just a student. I feel ashamed to be called an adult." She laughed sheepishly.

"Is there a rule that says a student can't help someone who is hurt?" He asked. "And I do know you." He said and Kaoru blinked. Despite her refusal, he already began to bandage her wound. "You're from the Akabeko and you do inappropriate things to unsuspecting high school boys." And Kaoru nearly kicked him.

"Hey, kid." She grumbled. "You better run home before I murder you and your body is never found. Your parents will worry." She crossed her arms and Kenshin quietly laughed to himself. She supposed she should have thanked him for trying to lighten the awkward tension with his cruel teasing.

"I live alone." He said.

"What? What kind of kid lives alone? How old are you anyway? …15?" Kenshin lifted his gold eyes to meet hers.

"I'm 19." He said and Kaoru dropped her arms. To be honest, he didn't look young enough to be 15.

"Oh…" So he wasn't _technically_ a kid. Not that that _changed _anything. Kaoru bit her lip and Kenshin finished bandaging her knee. "Still...living alone at your age is..." She didn't know what to say. Kaoru suddenly felt her heart jump and there was a curious sense of regret. She wished she never asked how old he really was. She wanted to remain believing he was just a kid. This thought frightened her because why should she care so much? Why did it scare her that he was older than she imagined?

"My parents passed a long time ago. I used to live with my uncle. Now I live alone." He told her without her asking. Silence fell between them and Kaoru cursed herself. Why did she always speak before thinking? She noticed he lived alone. Why couldn't she put two and two together? She watched as he moved to bandage her ankle. Kaoru thought about saying something like an apology for his loss, but then it seemed like Kenshin didn't expect or want one. So she let it drop.

"So…then…Seijuro-sensei is your uncle?" She asked and Kenshin glanced at her. "I know who you are." She admitted. "…and I had the pleasure of meeting Seijuro-sensei a few years ago." Kenshin smirked.

"Yes, that's right." He said and Kaoru could only nod.

"Do you know who my father is?" She said. "I don't know if you noticed the dojo downstairs..." She quickly changed the subject.

"Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu..." Kenshin finished bandaging her ankle. "I've heard of it." He said and looked at her. Kaoru closed her lips and returned his gaze. "Rest your leg." Another demand. He gently set her leg down and returned the first aid kit back upstairs to the bathroom. Kaoru limped to the bottom of the staircase as he came to stand before her.

"I don't know how I can thank you." She said, glancing up at him. "Can I at least offer you something to eat or drink?"

"I'm fine." And he made his way to the door.

"But..." She tried to stop him, but what was she supposed to say or do? As she said before she didn't want to keep him there any longer, but she also wanted to show him her thanks. Kenshin glanced at her over his shoulder and smirked. For some reason, his smirk made Kaoru feel like this wasn't the last she would see of him. In fact, she felt like it was just the beginning.

"See you later." He said and Kaoru watched as his figure disappeared in the distance.

* * *

"What? And you just let him leave?" Kaoru sighed.

"Like I said, it's not like he seemed all that excited to be here."

Kaoru's father returned a couple days after her incident and of course he panicked when he saw his injured daughter. She told him what happened and how Kenshin did so much for her.

"Himura did?" He said and then he asked if she thanked him.

"Uh...I did. Kind of…I didn't. Not really...not well enough, at least." And that's how they got to bickering.

"The next time you see Himura, you make sure you thank him properly! He carried you home!"

"Yes! Thank you, dad, for telling me what I already know!" She crossed her arms and he shook his head.

"If I ever see him, I will also need to thank him for saving my poor daughter." He said and Kaoru sighed again, picking at some potato chips. "This isn't the first time he carried you home either…" Her father pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in shame. Kaoru paused eating and looked at him.

"What? What do you mean?" The chips fell from her fingers.

"For all we know his back could be totally shot by now!" He said. Kaoru asked him in a calm voice to repeat what he said. Surely she misunderstood him.

"What do you mean that wasn't the 'first time'?" Mr. Kamiya looked at his daughter like he had raised a fool.

"Do you honestly think that at my age I can carry you home? Especially after a night of drinking?"

"A night of drinking?" She said, almost casually. "What do you mean a night of drink-" And Kaoru paused mid-sentence. Her jaw went slack and it suddenly occurred to her that Kenshin never once asked her how to get to her house. He carried her and walked there as if he already knew where he was going. As if…he had been to her house before…

"That night we celebrated at the Akabeko." Her father said. "Himura came by and you fell asleep on him." Kaoru's expression turned to panic.

"Oh no…Oh no, oh no. No, no, no…don't tell me." She hid her face in her hands and Mr. Kamiya sat back in his chair.

"Who else could have carried you home? I certainly didn't." He took a good long sip of his tea and secretly enjoyed watching his daughter bang her head against the table in mortification.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kenshin just finished showering and was drying his hair when he heard his doorbell ring, followed by a timid knock at the door. He paused and stared out into the hallway. It wasn't often that visitors stopped by. Another timid knock came at the door and he smirked to himself because he knew who stood at his door. Kenshin decided to be compassionate and he put on a shirt before he made his way over. He paused before he opened it because he could hear nervous mumbles coming from the other side.

"Please don't be home. Please don't be home. _Please _don't be home. _Please_ don't be-" He opened the door. Kaoru jumped back slightly when it opened. Kenshin couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned against the door. Kaoru looked like a mouse caught in a trap. She noticed that he showered and she was relieved that he was fully clothed. At least there was one thing going well for her.

Kaoru lifted a grocery bag that was in her hand and Kenshin looked at it before turning his attention to her. "I was scolded by my father..." She admitted with pursed lips and the side of his lip curved again. Kaoru could have been 70 years old and her father would still find a way to scold her like a child.

He stepped aside. "Would you like to come in?" And Kaoru wasted no time to enter. Kenshin shut the door behind them and she waited for him to invite her to sit. Kaoru settled herself at a table that was placed between the living room and the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" He asked.

"Do you have some hot tea? It's pretty cold today." She said. Despite appearing quite calm, Kaoru was nervous to be there. She asked for tea because she needed something to distract her. And while he prepared her tea, she could use those couple of minutes alone to collect herself.

Kaoru glanced around his apartment. It was fairly empty except for basic furniture. He kept the place clean and organized, and she found it pretty cozy. Kaoru slightly strained her neck and was able to catch a small glimpse of his bedroom. It looked a little messier in his room and she guessed that he must have spent most of his time in there. She was slightly jealous that he already had his own apartment because she was already 23 and was still living with her father. It was a little embarrassing. Kaoru inhaled deeply to calm her nerves and his apartment definitely smelled...what was the word..? _Masculine_. It only made her more aware that she was in a strange place and she felt awkward.

Kenshin returned with her tea and she thanked him when he handed it to her. She swallowed back a lump in her throat when he pulled out the chair across from her and sat. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was thrown off when he pulled the towel off his head.

While she walked to his apartment, she thought back to the first time they met. He was wearing his school uniform and his long hair was tied in a high ponytail. This was the image she was expecting, but she was surprised to see that his hair was cut. She failed to notice before because his kept the towel over his head. His hair was much shorter now, but still fairly long. The longest part of his hair now skimmed his shoulders. Kaoru actually thought it made him look more mature and he looked quite handsome. She cleared her throat to focus.

"I am here to _properly _thank you for...everything." Kaoru let out a small sigh and played with the tea mug. Kenshin glanced at her fiddling fingers and then at her. "My father told me that you carried me home from the Akabeko that night." She emphasized 'that night' so he knew what she meant. "Even though we don't know each other well, you still went out of your way to help me and I failed to thank you." Kaoru kept her gaze down-turned the entire time and she took that moment to glance at him. Kaoru's attention was suddenly caught by an innocent water droplet that dripped from the end of his hair and slowly traveled its way down his neck. Kaoru blushed and blinked away. "For everything that you have done for me, a simple 'thank you' is not enough. So I would like to do something for you in return!" Kaoru thought the room was spinning. She handed him the bag she brought. "First, here are some fruits from my father. He says these are particularly good for your body if you're athletic." Kenshin took it from her tense fingers and looked inside. "This is his thanks for..." She sighed. "...protecting his daughter." Kenshin returned his attention to her. He found her obvious discomfort amusing. Kaoru was the kind of person whose thoughts and emotions showed on her face, and she spoke without thinking. It was clumsy, but Kenshin appreciated her honesty. It was rather endearing.

"I told you it was alright." He said, but Kaoru vigorously shook her head.

"I won't feel satisfied until I've at least helped you with something. Then my father will get off my back about it too." She mumbled the last bit, but it did not go unheard. Kenshin smiled slightly to himself as he looked down.

Kaoru was sure that she and Kenshin kept meeting in unfortunate circumstances because the Kendo gods were punishing her for failing to repay his kindness. Once she properly thanked him maybe he would finally leave her thoughts and let her sleep at night.

"So what do you propose?" He asked and Kaoru held up seven fingers.

"You saved Tae, you let me wear your coat, you carried me _twice_, you carried my groceries, and you cared for my injuries." She put down a finger with each deed. "Therefore, I will repay you with seven favors. Anything you need, I'll help you to the best of my abilities."

"You only mentioned six things I've done."

Another blush appeared across her cheeks and she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "The seventh favor isn't for something you did, but rather what I did." She said.

"And what's that?"

Kaoru glanced at him and her blush deepened. "It's a secret." And again Kenshin hid a small smile as he looked to the side.

She wanted to throw in a seventh favor because she unreasonably judged him to be a delinquent just because of his appearance. It was shallow of her and he only proved to be kind and considerate. She felt that she would receive bad karma.

"So...!" She looked at him. "Please let me start by going to the market and making you a meal!"

"A meal?" He echoed.

"Yes! Since you said you live alone, it must be difficult for you to eat a proper home cooked meal. You're still growing too, so you need to eat properly. I'll teach you how to cook!" Kaoru abruptly stood from the table and Kenshin looked at her leg.

"How is your leg?" He asked. Kaoru blinked and also glanced at it.

"It's much better. The wound is healing properly, but I still walk with a limp." She said. Kenshin stood from the table and disappeared into his bedroom. He walked out a moment later, throwing on a coat. Kaoru looked at him.

"Where are you going?"

"You said you wanted to go to the market."

Kaoru hobbled over to stop him from leaving. "I'm going. You don't have to go." She said. Kenshin looked down at her as she stretched out her arms to stop him.

"You are still injured." But Kaoru was stubborn.

"What's the point of calling this a favor if you're helping me again?" She said. Kenshin looked at her more closely.

"Then consider this your favor to me...I want you to grant me permission to help you carry the groceries." He said and Kaoru hesitated because this was the favor he requested and she couldn't refuse. His tricks were smart and crafty.

"Stop being such a good person..." She grumbled as they left his apartment together.

As they made their way to the store, Kaoru pulled out a crumbled piece of paper from her coat pocket.

"Do you have soy sauce at your apartment?"

"I do."

"Sugar?"

"Yes."

"What about ginger?"

"I have it."

Kaoru looked over the list before she stuffed it back into her pocket.

"It looks like I won't have to buy too much."

Kenshin slowly followed behind her as she limped through the store. He watched as she carefully chose the freshest ingredients and compared the lowest prices. Kaoru approached him with carrots in her hand.

"If you want to snack on carrots, just buy regular carrots. Don't bother with baby carrots because they're just cut from carrots and washed in chlorine." She said with all seriousness, and put them in the basket and walked away. Kenshin quietly laughed to himself. Kaoru continued to "teach" Kenshin small tips and tricks as they walked through the store. Kenshin simply listened and allowed her to do so.

When they returned to his apartment, Kaoru took off her coat and rolled up her sleeves. She directed Kenshin to do the same. She made sure they washed their hands before she began to prepare the vegetables.

"I'll teach you how to make *nikujaga." She said as she washed the potatoes. Kenshin smiled again behind her back. Nikujaga was arguably one of the easiest recipes to make. You basically threw everything in a pot and boiled it down. A child could make nikujaga. Still, he appreciated the kind act.

"I'll show you how to correctly cut onions. Most of the time, people will make the mistake of cutting off the ends..." She showed him. Kenshin could see that Kaoru really did love to teach no matter the subject. Her eyes sparkled every time she spoke. "Now you try." She stepped aside. Kenshin glanced at her once and began to chop the onion with ease. He wasn't a professional, but he was certainly better than she was. Kaoru's smile vanished.

"What...? Don't tell me you already know how to cook?" She glanced at him and he looked down at her.

"I look forward to trying your cooking." Kaoru blushed.

"W-why didn't you say anything?" She said.

"There was no reason to." Kaoru bit her bottom lip. She felt like a fool. "Whether I know how to cook or not does not change the fact that you are still doing me a favor by cooking for me." He said. Kaoru paused and stared at him with suspicion.

"Are you really only 19?" She asked and he smirked to himself as he threw all the ingredients into a pot.

"Age does not equate to maturity, skill, or intelligence." He said. "As we have seen, you are an adult, yet you still cry over rubbing alcohol." There was a hint of challenge in his voice and the tiniest edge of condescension. Kaoru's jaw dropped. She knew it. He enjoyed watching her squirm with frustration. He was cruel. So, so cruel. She knew he was trouble. She knew it!

Kaoru sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay, fine...you're right! I'll admit it. I'll be an adult here and say that you're right. Despite my age, I am still rather childish..." She nodded, defiantly, but then shoved a finger in his face. "But I'm still older than you by 4 years so you treat me with respect!"

"Respect is only given when it's earned." He responded easily. She put a hand on the back of her neck as if supporting herself.

"Look, stop being so difficult and just say 'yes' to everything I say."

"But that wouldn't be any fun."

"It wouldn't be any fun _for you._" She pointed out and Kenshin glanced at her.

_"Yes...sensei_." The word 'sensei' seemed to drip from his lips like poison. He was teasing her again like it was a game.

Kaoru faltered. She was losing the battle. She was losing! "T-That's right!" She waved her hand dismissively. "I _am _a sensei so you should address me as so!" But Kenshin's smile was mocking.

Due to their slight bickering, Kenshin finished cooking the nikujaga, while Kaoru only managed to prepare the rice. In less than an hour, the meal was finished. Kaoru folded her arms as she glared at him across the table.

"This doesn't count as a favor. There are still seven left!" She said and Kenshin took a bite of the meal "she" prepared.

"Why not? You said you would make me a meal and here it is."

"I didn't make it! You made it!" She argued.

"You made the rice."

"I washed it and put it in the rice cooker. The rice cooker made the rice." She said, grudgingly. "It also can't count as a favor if I'm teaching you something you already know."

Kenshin remained silent and ate the food. Kaoru eventually sighed and unfolded her arms. She also began to eat the food in silence. She took a bite of the rice and grimaced. It was too dry. She didn't put enough water in the pot. Kenshin made no mention of it and simply continued to eat it. She failed at the simple task of making rice. On the other hand, the nikujaga was amazing.

"This is delicious..." She grumbled, reluctantly and again Kenshin forced back a smile. "Well...I'm glad that you're at least eating well." She pursed her lips because she hated to admit to him that she was relieved.

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin through her lashes. If someone told her months ago that she would eat dinner with Himura Kenshin in his apartment, she would have slapped the person for talking crazy. Yet, here she was. To her surprise, it was not wholly uncomfortable.

"Do you ever get lonely?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself. "Eating and living here by yourself?" She said. "What about a girlfriend? Do you have a girlfriend? Someone who comes by and takes care of you...?" Kaoru found that she had leaned forward far too much and sat back. She blushed and put a hand to her lips. What was she asking _that_ for? She could have just said "friend" and the point she was trying to make would have been the same! Kenshin kept his attention on the food.

"No. To both questions." He replied and Kaoru knew he was lying…at least to the question about being lonely. Everyone felt lonely at some point in their lives. Given his circumstance, Kenshin was forced to grow up quickly and she was sure that he must have been quite lonely for a long time. Kaoru could say that she wasn't surprised he acted older than he was. Like an adult, he bottled up emotions and just dealt with them. That was the nice thing about being a kid. Kids could cry and complain and no one would fault them for it. Kaoru was sure that Kenshin felt lonely often, but he wouldn't admit it. She didn't push it any further and just continued eating.

"That's a relief. I guess you're too busy studying! Good!" She pointed at him with her chopsticks. For a moment, she wasn't sure over which response she was relieved. That he wasn't lonely...? or that he didn't have a girlfriend?

"Is studying so important to you?" He asked.

"Of course!" She responded without hesitation. "I believe in students balancing their lives with other activities as well, but studying is a must! Whether you choose to become a doctor, or a school teacher, or even a beggar...studying is important." Kenshin glanced up at her as she grinned from ear to ear. "Studying doesn't just have to be math or science. It can be music…or kendo…it's studying what you're passionate about."

"Your enthusiasm is somewhat annoying." He said. "You push studying and going to school, but I bet your grades were mediocre." He smirked and Kaoru stabbed her rice with her spoon. Bingo.

"You just worry about your own grades, okay?" She huffed. Her skin was prickling. "Aren't you a year behind?" She said and he nodded once.

"Yes, I had to take a year off from school."

Kaoru remembered that once he became the world champion, there wasn't a part of his life that wasn't seen by the public eye. He became so famous within the martial arts world that he made appearance after appearance and he toured across the nation, competing in every tournament. She wasn't too surprised that he couldn't go to school like a normal student. She was sure that his friend, Sanosuke, probably suffered the same fate. That experience must have been what brought the two together.

"It must have been tough..." She said and left it at that.

They finished their meal and because Kenshin cooked, Kaoru insisted that she wash the dishes. Kaoru pushed Kenshin away and told him to step aside. "At my house, the rule is that if one person cooks then the other person cleans." So Kenshin leaned against the kitchen table and simply waited until she finished. He casually stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched her from behind.

"You must be more confident in your dish washing skills." He said, hinting that she must have always been the one who cleaned. Kaoru couldn't help but laugh because it was true. Kenshin enjoyed the sound of her laughter as it echoed through his tiny kitchen. Kaoru quickly finished and dried her hands by flinging her hands of water in the sink. She went and grabbed her coat that she left on his couch and turned to him.

"Well, I'm going home." And with a blush, she handed him a piece of paper. "This is my phone number. You don't have to ask for all seven favors at one time, so when you think of one, you can let me know." She put on her coat and quickly walked to the door so she did not have to see his expression. "Don't walk around with your hair wet and...make sure you eat properly." She said as she put on her shoes.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked.

"No." She held out a hand to stop him. "If you keep doing things for me then the favors I have to repay will be never ending. The sooner I repay you, the sooner you and I will no longer have anything to do with each other." She tied her scarf around her neck and pulled it tight. "Also, it's dangerous for a student to be walking around at night." Kaoru watched as something flashed behind Kenshin's eyes and the air around him darkened. Kaoru hesitated when she caught a glint in his gold eyes and she stepped back. Something in his expression said he was irritated and her heart rate quickened.

"Thank your father for the fruits." He said and Kaoru stiffened when his gaze dropped to her lips.

"…s-sure…" She stammered. And suddenly, she was abruptly aware of his presence again. Kenshin could switch from a calm and quiet house cat, to a dangerous predator without a moment's notice.

His gaze popped back up to meet hers. "Goodnight." He said.

"G-goodnight." And Kaoru quickly turned away and left.

* * *

The holidays came and went quickly, and her birthday passed as well. As usual, Kaoru celebrated the holidays and her birthday at home, but not without exchanging some gifts. She bought Christmas presents for just about everyone and even got something for her students. She would never tell, but she did slip in a little something extra for Yahiko and Tsubame. As she said, Kaoru gave her father a bar of body soap. After Kenshin left her house that time, Kaoru noticed he scribbled down the brand of soap he used and left the note at the kitchen table. She thought he had forgotten so she was surprised when she found his note.

"Fig, mint, and bamboo..." She read the label. "No wonder it smells so good." Kaoru said and touched the bar of soap. She did think about buying it for her dad, but then suddenly looking at it in the store changed her mind. It was almost like the scent belonged to Kenshin and Kenshin only. She didn't want anyone else to use it. So she put it back and bought her father a different kind.

Since she last saw Kenshin at his apartment, she hadn't seen him and he hadn't contacted her. She figured he didn't have any favor to ask yet, so she patiently waited for the day he would tell her. Sometimes Kaoru did contemplate stopping by his apartment, but she had to remind herself that she really had no business with him. Still, she did wonder how he was doing. She hoped he didn't spend the holidays alone.

Kaoru was happy to return to school after the holidays were over. It was a new year and Kaoru had a good feeling that things were only going to get better, but for now, Kaoru's time with the school was quickly coming to an end. Sensei called her into one of the few meeting rooms because they did have to discuss the end of her position. Kaoru was a little sad because she didn't want to think about the ending of her time as a teacher. She was disappointed, but she would make the most out of the time she had left. She knocked on the door and peeked inside. Her teacher was not alone. There was a younger gentleman standing beside him.

"Come on in, Kaoru." She stepped in and the man was introduced to her as Hajime Saito. Kaoru glanced at the man nervously. He had a very intimidating character and didn't appear very happy to be there…or happy in general, to be honest. "If you don't mind, he will be joining us for this meeting."

"Of course." She agreed, not that she really had a choice. Her old teacher mentioned that her last month had arrived. "Yes…I know." She said with a sad smile. He sat forward and his voice lowered.

"Our town is small, so finding a teacher is difficult. However, there are never many positions open _because_ the schools are smaller." He said and Kaoru said she understood. "I would very much like it if we had a position open for you, but unfortunately we don't." He said.

"No, that's fine, sensei. I'm grateful that you've already done so much." Her teacher held up a finger with a smile and stopped her there.

"The good thing is, there are _always _other schools." His smile widened and Kaoru then glanced at Saito.

"Kamiya-san." Saito said and she sat up straight when he suddenly spoke. "If you are interested, the English teacher at the high school is retiring." Kaoru's jaw went slack and she looked between the two men. "As he said, when we need a teacher we do need one immediately since the number of applicants in this town are small."

"A-and…and you need me to…?" She stammered. Was her luck really this great? Were the teaching gods shining their light upon her?

"Sometimes the schools in the area will discuss if there is extra staff or someone who could transfer over." Saito said and nodded towards her teacher. "He mentioned your position here was ending soon."

"I've already spoken to Saito-san about your abilities and how you've incredibly raised the English grade averages. We both think you are quite capable to be the teacher at the high school."

"This request isn't formal, but I thought we would ask you before taking any appropriate steps." Saito said. Kaoru was extremely happy and amazed at her luck, but she did hesitate.

"I admit…I didn't apply to any high schools in the area because I thought being so young would be a disadvantage." She confessed. "If you don't mind that I am younger and have less experience…then I am very happy to accept."

And thus began Kaoru's career as an English high school teacher.

*Nikujaga is a kind of soy sauce based beef stew. It's typically made with beef and root vegetables. In Japan, nikujaga is said to be the most basic dish that all girlfriends should know how to make because men like this dish since it's just meat and potatoes. Somehow though, it is hard to make really good nikujaga haha


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I've only been your teacher for a few months, but I am all so very proud of you for graduating today." Kaoru announced to the class and together the class cheered. Today was graduation for the third years at the middle school and it was also Kaoru's last day as their teacher. "Congratulations!" She said in English and applauded them. These were the kind of moments that reminded her why she chose to be a teacher.

"Kaoru." Yahiko and Tsubame approached her and stood side by side. Kaoru put her hands on their shoulders and sniffled loudly.

"I'm so proud of you twooo~!" She wailed. Of course Yahiko rolled his eyes while the sweet Tsubame told Kaoru not to cry.

"Kaoru, you'll come to the Akabeko tonight, right?" Tsubame asked.

"Of course I will be there!" She said. She wasn't going to miss it for the world.

Tsubame smiled broadly. "Yahiko said he will be there too!" She said and smiled at Yahiko, who blushed and pretended to be more annoyed than he really was. Kaoru smirked at him and he gave her a warning glare to not say anything. They were having a joint celebration at the Akabeko that night. They were celebrating their graduation and Kaoru's employment with the high school. After some thinking, Kaoru decided she would take the job as the high school English teacher.

Saito, who she found out was the vice-principal of the high school, asked her to stop by so she could sign the correct paperwork and make her employment official. She had the pleasure of meeting the teacher whose position she was taking over. He sat down with her and explained what she should expect being a teacher. He was extremely supportive and gave her some much needed advice. Having a long history as a teacher, he told her that teaching in high school was much different from teaching middle school. Kaoru appreciated this advice because she only had experience working with younger students.

There wasn't much time left before the school year was over. The school liked to have new incoming teachers spend the last two weeks of the school year, assisting a veteran teacher. This was so that they could become familiar with the layout of the building and the academic curriculum, but also have the teacher supervise their performance.

This was not the high school she attended as a student, but Kaoru was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces. Some old school mates of hers became teachers themselves. She was walking past the nurse's office when she did a double take and paused in the doorway.

"Megumi?" Kaoru called out when she recognized the face of the school nurse.

"Oh!" The woman blinked and then stood from her desk. "Kaoru? Are you the new English teacher?" She smiled brightly and welcomed her friend.

Megumi was a grade above Kaoru when they were in high school. Her father was also the Kamiya's family doctor. Kaoru was not too surprised Megumi became a school nurse since she came from a family of respected doctors. She and Megumi never became close, but they were still friendly. Maybe this experience would help them become closer.

Kaoru told her she was happy she knew someone in the school. That's when Megumi brought her to the science lab and introduced her to the science teacher.

"Hey, Aoshi~" Megumi called as she slid open the door. Kaoru lifted her brows when she heard the name.

"Shinomori-senpai?" Kaoru exclaimed. A handsome man in a crisp lab coat pulled off his safety goggles and passed her that cold gaze that she was all too familiar with.

"Ah, Kamiya. It's good to see you again." His reaction was less than excited, but she knew it wasn't on purpose. It was just how Aoshi always was.

Aoshi was two years above her when they were in high school. He was the kind of guy who appeared cold, but she soon learned he was just quiet. Once she got to know him, she found that he was very kind and had a strong sense of loyalty to friends and family. Kaoru could admit that she might have had a slight crush on him when she was a first year, but they became better friends when she assisted him in running the school kendo club. Aoshi took her to the break room where the three of them drank some instant coffee and caught up, reminiscing of earlier days.

* * *

The Akabeko closed early that night because Tae couldn't bother with customers when they were having a celebration of their own. Tonight's celebration was extra special, so instead of hot pot, they were having grilled meat. Tae put together a couple long tables since they needed enough space to fit all the food and all the guests. Everyone and anyone were there, including parents and family members of students. On one end of the restaurant sat the parents and on the other sat Tsubame and Yahiko, and their fellow classmates.

"Are you going to drink tonight?" Tae asked Kaoru as she set down some drinks. She watched curiously as Kaoru piled five pieces of grilled meat on her plate.

"No way, I learned my lesson from last time. Not only that, I have to be a good role model for those guys." Kaoru nodded toward the youngsters and Tae smiled a secret smile as if she knew something Kaoru did not. Tae kept glancing at the door over Kaoru's shoulder, as if she was expecting someone. Kaoru blew on a slice of meat to cool it before she lifted it to her mouth and chewed. She let out puffs of air to cool the food in her mouth.

"Well, it's a good thing you won't make the same mistake as last time because he's here."

"Who is here?" Kaoru mumbled as she chewed and shoved another piece of meat in her mouth.

"Kenshin-san!" Tsubame exclaimed beside her and Kaoru violently choked, falling into a coughing fit.

"Him." Tae said, casually.

"Kaoru…are you okay?" Her father asked and Kaoru desperately put a finger to her lips to silence him. She was hoping Kenshin wouldn't notice that she was basically dying on the spot.

Kenshin was not the only person who showed up to celebrate. Tsubame also invited Sanosuke to the gathering. Tsubame bounded over to them and Sanosuke patted her on the head.

"Hey, little missy." Sanosuke smirked and congratulated her. She thanked them for coming to her celebration.

"Thank you for inviting us." Kenshin replied and Yahiko huffed when Kenshin also congratulated Tsubame and she blushed in response. Kenshin and Sanosuke politely greeted the other guests before Tae asked them to sit. Kaoru was still coughing slightly when he and Sanosuke took their place at the table. She was gulping down some water as Kenshin sat beside her and he looked at her. Tears streamed down her face as she faced him.

"Hello." He said.

Kaoru coughed once and smiled a watery smile. "Hi." Her throat was raspy.

"Oh, hey…it's you." Sano said, already chewing on some meat. "Nice to see you again. It's been awhile, eh?" Kaoru lifted a hand to greet him since speaking hurt her throat. Kaoru and Tae exchanged a look and Kaoru gave her a look of desperation. Tae could only shrug in response. Tsubame was the one who invited him.

"We're also celebrating for Kaoru!" Tsubame clapped once and Sano turned his attention to her.

"Oh, yeah? What are we celebrating?" He smiled and he also congratulated Kaoru when Tae told him the good news. Kenshin turned to her and Kaoru could see the secret amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Congratulations, sensei." He mocked and an eyebrow arched.

"Yes! Thank you." Kaoru quickly said and offered him some meat. "Please eat!" She said, piling the food on his plate and hoping that eating would shut him up.

"It's alright, sensei." He said and turned his gold eyes to meet hers. "I've been eating properly and I don't walk around with wet hair." He said. Tae looked at her in question and Kaoru chuckled through gritted teeth. When Kaoru was sure no one was looking, she slapped Kenshin's knee under the table.

"Sanosuke is your name? Correct?" Kaoru cleared her throat as she smiled at Sano. He nodded once.

"Yeah, that's right."

And Kaoru also offered him meat on his plate. "Please eat a lot!" She laughed a little too loudly, as if to drown out Kenshin's words.

The restaurant quickly grew rowdy with drunken cheers of joy and loud laughter. The celebration carried on well into the night and it seemed that everyone was having a good time. Kaoru waited until the guests were either too drunk or too distracted to notice before she scooted closer to Kenshin and whispered.

"Hey…" She began, but did not look at him. Kenshin also kept his attention on his meal. "The school uniform you wore when we first met…what school is that from?" She asked. One of the things that Kaoru was afraid of was that Kenshin would be a student of hers. Kaoru believed that any kind of relationship between a high school student and teacher, no matter how platonic, could cause a lot of trouble and misunderstanding. Especially with her being so much younger, it would look particularly bad for her. If her school found out that she went to a student's apartment alone, she might get into a lot of trouble and she did not want to jeopardize her job.

"Usui Senior High School." He said and Kaoru breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." She said to herself. It wasn't the same school. Kaoru scooted away from him and continued to eat in a happier mood.  
"Are you relieved?" He asked, quietly and Kaoru set her cup down.

"Of course! How would I look if word got out that I went to your apartment and you live alone?" She lowered her voice considerably.

"Do you really think I would spread rumors and brag about a strange woman who likes to barge into my home?" Kenshin said and Kaoru frantically waved a hand in front of his face to stop him.

She glanced around. "I can't say! I barely know you! Who knows what you would say or do?" She said.

"Do you think I would stoop so low?" And Kaoru shrugged again and released a tired sigh.

"Like I said, who knows what you could do?" She repeated and lowered her voice again. "Anyway, whether you would say anything or not, I can't take any chances." She shook her head to clear any thought of what could happen to her job. She took a sip of water, but then set it down and looked at him again. "Ah…but it doesn't matter because the uniform you were wearing is not from my school." She smiled again. Kenshin felt slightly annoyed because she thought so little of him. It just made him want to cause her more trouble.

Kaoru glanced at him. "Hey…you still have seven favors left…or wishes…whatever you want to call them." She crossed her arms. "Did you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten." He said and looked at her.

"You really don't have anything you need me to do?" She tilted her head. "I'll clean your apartment...wash your dishes or even do your laundry. Anything will do." She said. Kenshin rested an arm on his bent knee and leaned back on the other.

"Anything will not do." He said, blowing his bangs from his eyes.

Kaoru sighed. "Don't go overboard. I know I said I'll grant any favor, but it has to be realistic. You can't save it for something ridiculous. Don't ask me to buy you a pet dinosaur or something." She said. Kenshin put a hand to his face to hide a chuckle and Kaoru blushed upon seeing him laugh.

She suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach, so she tightly hugged her knees to her chest to suppress them. She and Kenshin awkwardly sat together in silence again. The loud voices and laughter in the background were drowned out by the pounding of her heart in her ears.

"Well! We better get going!" A voice called out that broke Kaoru out of her trance. Both she and Kenshin immediately stood to bid the guests goodbye as they slowly began to leave one by one.

"Yahiko." Kaoru said, firmly and Yahiko approached her.

"Yeah?"

She put an arm over his shoulder and lowered her voice. "Walk Tsubame home and you make sure you and your mother are careful on the way back too."

Yahiko gave her a confident smirk. "No problem." Kaoru smiled at him and rubbed his spiky head. Her father came stumbling over and he collapsed on her.

"Let's go home, Kaoruuuu~" His breath smelled like a brewery.

"Dad! How much did you drink?" She pinched her nose. Mr. Sekihara came over and took her father off her.

"Forgive him this time, Kaoru. He is just happy for you so he couldn't stop drinking." He said and Kaoru sighed. Mrs. Sekihara put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. We'll take him home for you." Kaoru thanked them and stayed behind so she could help Tae clean up. Sanosuke suddenly came behind Kenshin and threw an arm over his friend's shoulder.

"Should we go too?" He asked.

"No." Kenshin said. "We should help clean up." But Kaoru stopped him.

"That's okay! I can do it." She said, but Sanosuke scratched his messy head and looked around.

"You're right. How rude of me."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru again. "It's fine. We'll help clean up."

"Then you guys clean the tables!" Tae called out as she carried empty bottles of sake in her arms. Kenshin and Sano took care of the tables and chairs while Kaoru washed the dishes and Tae wiped down the restaurant. With everyone's cooperation, they finished in 20 minutes.

"Thanks so much!" Tae said as she closed and locked the restaurant door. "I think that was the fastest I've ever closed!" Her voice echoed through the neighborhood. The streets were empty and quiet. Kaoru tightly wound her scarf around her neck and stuffed her hands in her coat pockets.

"Get home safely, okay?" Kaoru said and bid then goodnight before she began to walk up the hill towards her house. Sanosuke called out after her.

"Do you live in that direction? Where do you live? Do you want me to walk you home?" He said and Tae suddenly gripped his upper arm, pulling him back.

"Don't you live closer to me? I think you should walk me home and Kenshin can walk Kaoru home." Tae smiled up at Sano. Kaoru stiffened and glanced at Kenshin's back.

Sano scratched his head. "Really? I live closer that way-" And Tae slapped Sano's arm as inconspicuously as she could and silently motioned towards Kenshin and Kaoru with her eyes. Since Sano didn't get it, Tae pulled him away by force.

"See you later, Kaoru. Kenshin." She nodded towards him then waved and pulled Sano in the opposite direction. Kaoru, still standing on the hill, simply watched in quiet confusion while she waved goodbye.

* * *

Tae kept pulling Sano until they rounded a corner and they were out of Kaoru's sight. Tae then stopped and waited. Sano lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't get it." He said and Tae sighed.

"I'm trying to give them alone time, Sano." She said, like it was obvious. "Just wait a couple minutes and then you can go home." She said and patted him on the back. Sano looked around the corner and then looked at Tae.

"Do those two like each other?" He asked. Tae shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know about Kenshin, but Kaoru does. She doesn't know it yet, but I know she does." She nodded to herself. "That girl's head is as thick as a board sometimes."

"Why don't you go home? You live in the opposite direction anyway." He said and Tae shivered.

"I feel bad that you have to wait. So I'll keep you company." She said. "After a couple minutes, we'll both leave at the same time." Tae began to bounce up and down to stay warm.

Sano silently nodded his head and then looked around the corner again. "You know, if you try to set Kenshin up with Kaoru, it's not going to work." He said and Tae frowned.

"Why not?"

Sano nodded his head in Kenshin's direction. "He already has a girl. He's been in love with her for years."

Tae looked disappointed and she stopped bouncing for a moment. "Really? Damn...I thought they could work as a couple." She tsked and Sano smiled.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

* * *

Kaoru turned her attention to Kenshin who stood at the bottom of the hill. His hands were in the pockets of his pants and he still watched Tae and Sano until they were down the street. When he could no longer see them, he turned and silently looked at Kaoru. She still waited at the top so he made his way up to her. She patiently waited until he came to stand before her.

"It's dangerous for a student to-" Kaoru began, but Kenshin reached out and pulled her scarf over her mouth. "Mm!" She blinked.

"It's also dangerous for a female to walk alone at night." He said. "I'll walk you home." A demand. And he lowered his hand. He walked past her and Kaoru pulled the scarf back down. She was about to argue when he cut her off. "You don't have to repay me with another favor." He said.

Kaoru pursed her lips and grumbled behind his back. "...you know I can't do that..." She quickened her pace so she walked beside him. Kaoru kept stealing glances at him while they walked in silence. She knew she had to say something. They couldn't keep doing this every time.

"Do you know the game 'black and white'?" She asked and glanced up at him. When he remained quiet, she continued. "Which do you like more? Black or white?"

"Black." He said. "White." She said, simultaneously.

"Sea or mountains?"

"Mountains." He said. "Sea." She said.

"Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Vanilla." He said. "Chocolate!" She said.

Kaoru wrinkled her nose. "Vanilla? Really?"

"Rice or noodles?"

"Rice." He said. "Noodles!" She said. Kenshin and Kaoru locked gazes.

"Autumn or Spring?"

"Autumn." "Spring."

"Mangoes or peaches?"

"Mangoes." "Peaches."

"Sleep or eat?"

"Sleep." "Eat."

"Rain or shine."

"Rain." "Shine."

Kaoru stopped walking and eyed him carefully. Kenshin also paused and looked at her. She sucked in a breath between her teeth as she tilted her head.

"How can we clash so much?" She asked, but it was more of a rhetorical question. She continued walking and Kenshin smirked to himself.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Tea." "Coffee."

"Night or day?"

"Night." "Day." Kaoru sighed heavily.

Kaoru stuffed her hands in her pockets and sniffed. "Cats or dogs?"

"Both." They said in unison. Kaoru paused midstride and looked at him in slight bewilderment.

"Wh-why would you say both?" She asked as a blush slowly made its way across her cheeks.

"Why would _you_ say both?" He asked in return.

Kaoru looked down the street and then turned to him. "My house is just right there. I can go on from here." She said, breathlessly "Thanks for…walking me home." She said, glancing at her house again. "Get back safely." She said, lifting a nervous hand. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye…or see you soon?" He asked and Kaoru blinked, letting her hand slowly drop back to her side. Was he asking her which she preferred?

"I guess…goodbye is always kind of sad…" She replied. Kenshin reached out and fixed the scarf around Kaoru's neck with a smirk.

"Then…" He said. "…see you soon."

* * *

_Don't be nervous. Don't be nervous._ She said to herself as she stared into the vast ocean of student faces in the school gymnasium. Kaoru had a great smile on her face, but she was a bundle of nerves. _I should have gone to the bathroom!_ She grimaced slightly and touched her stomach. Her nerves were really getting to her.

The day finally arrived. It was the school's opening ceremony and Kaoru was moments away from introducing herself to the school.

"After the principal gives his speech to welcome the students, he will call up the new teachers to introduce themselves." Saito told her earlier that morning. "Just give a little introduction and whatever message you want to say to the students."

Kaoru was the next teacher to stand up and introduce herself. She was trying to remember what it was she planned to say. _My name is Kamiya Kaoru…I am the new third year English teacher…_

"Aggghhh…" She held her head in her hands. Megumi, who sat behind Kaoru, nudged her shoulder.

"Kaoru? What are you doing…? It's your turn!" She hissed.

"Wha-? Oh!" She abruptly stood from her seat and hurried to the podium. She cleared her throat and adjusted the microphone. She stared at the faces that looked at her. _My name is Kamiya Kaoru…_

"Good morning!" She began and flinched when she spoke too loudly. "…uh…welcome back new students and old. My name is Kamiya Kaoru and I am the third year English teacher." She glanced around. "I'll speak honestly...it wasn't too long ago that I was also a student like all of you. Thinking back to it, studying was difficult, especially when the subject was boring or confusing. Therefore, I promise as your teacher that I will be patient and I will never make the lessons boring." She smiled. "Whether you choose to become a doctor, a school teacher, or a beggar…studying what you're passionate about is important. So let's find what you're passionate about together!" She threw a fist in the air and she expected applause, but instead she was met with silence, all for Megumi's snickering behind her. Kaoru blushed brightly and immediately put her fist down. The principal approached the podium and she returned to her seat in a hurry.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kamiya-sensei…for that…inspirational speech." He said and Kaoru sunk lower in her chair.

* * *

"You're still as embarrassingly passionate as ever." Aoshi said as he walked beside her on the left.

Megumi laughed and smacked Kaoru on the back. "Who gives such a cheesy speech on their first day as a teacher?" She walked on Kaoru's right. Kaoru, in the middle, walked down the hall with her head hung low.

"I couldn't stop myself." She sighed, heavily. "I always speak before thinking." She punched the side of her own head. "My mouth is always what gets me into trouble!" The three of them stopped at the stairwell. Kaoru gripped Megumi and Aoshi's arms. "What do I do? I'm so embarrassed…" She groaned. "Don't leave me!" She begged.

"Not my problem!" Megumi snickered and gave her friend another pat on the back. "I've got to head back to the office. You would be surprised how many students try to get out of the first day of class by faking an illness." She said and walked down the hall, leaving Kaoru and Aoshi behind.

Kaoru looked Aoshi in desperation. "Senpai…" Aoshi put a hand on her head.

"It might have been embarrassing, but you showed the students that you're honest and care about their education. They appreciate it more than you think." He said to comfort her.

"Really?" She was a little more hopeful.

"Maybe." He said and Kaoru's hope burst like a balloon. He left to go to his own classroom and Kaoru was on her own.

She walked down the hall and stood outside the door of the classroom that would become her homeroom class. She could hear the students rustling about and talking inside. Laughter echoed into the hallway and Kaoru sucked in a deep breath. She opened the door and the room immediately quieted down. Looking at the faces of her new students made her miss her old middle school students. Somehow high school students were intimidating.

Kaoru walked to the front of the class with all eyes on her and she gave them a shaky smile. She was relieved to find that most of them were giving her an excited expression. Maybe things wouldn't be too bad.

"G-good morning!" She started. "Are you excited you all made it to your third year?" A couple nods here and there. The atmosphere was a little awkward. "Well, I'll try to make your last year a fun one!" She said. A student in the back raised her hand.  
"Sensei! Your speech was pretty amazing!" Kaoru blushed because she couldn't tell if the student was being serious or sarcastic.

"Sorry…I didn't know I would start off with something so tacky." Kaoru gave a sheepish grin.

"That's okay, sensei. I'll forgive you because you're so cute." A male student winked and a female student beside him punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Misao…" He rubbed the sore spot.

"Don't listen to him, sensei!" The energetic female student said and Kaoru blushed.

"You can't say that to a teacher!" Kaoru scolded and then cleared her throat. "…but I'll say thanks just this once." She said, which gained a few chuckles and the male student winked again. Kaoru pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and looked around. "Is this everyone? I guess we should start by taking attendance."

"Sensei! Does it matter where we sit?" A student asked and Kaoru swatted a hand as she looked over the student names.

"I never cared about that! Just sit where you want to!" She said and she received a couple cheers. The students switched seats to be closer with their friends. "But!" She yelled loudly over the noise. "…you better make sure you pay attention or I'll move you to sit next to me." She warned.

"I wouldn't mind that!" A student called out and Kaoru didn't know who it came from so she just scowled.

"Didn't I say not to say that to a teacher? You guys are already going to cause trouble and it's only the first day of class!" She pretended to be annoyed, but Kaoru was anything but. The students seemed to have good attitudes and were accepting her as their teacher. She wanted to release a loud sigh of relief, but decided to wait until class was over and she was alone.

Once the class resettled, Kaoru cleared her throat again. "I'll take attendance first and then we'll go around the room and introduce ourselves. Okay?" And the class agreed in unison. Kaoru began and went down the list. She called out the name of students and checked them off.

"Makimachi Misao?"

"Here!" The energetic girl from earlier raised her arm high in the air. Kaoru smiled at her and then continued down the list.

"Seta Sojiro?" A male student, who could have passed for a pretty female, waved his hand. Kaoru made a mental note to ask him later how he got his eyelashes to curl so nicely.

"Here." He said, cheerfully.

"Shishio Makoto?" Sitting beside Sojiro was a student who looked absolutely devilish. A female student clung onto him as if she was drowning.

"Here." He said.

"Komagata Yumi." Sure enough, the female student hanging on the arm of Shishio Makoto raised her hand. Kaoru brought her attention back to the list.

"...Himura Kenshi-HIMURA KENSHIN?" She shrieked, which earned her many confused stares. "Ke-ke-ken...?" She stammered.

"Battousai is late again, eh?" Shishio chuckled. "Even on the first day."

"And Zanza...it's always those two."

"Sagara is probably just at the nurse's office _again_." Yumi smirked.

"B-battousai!?" Kaoru stammered again and Misao looked at her.

"Sensei...do you stutter?" She asked and suddenly the classroom's back door violently slid open causing every head, all except Kaoru's, to turn towards it. Instead, Kaoru tried to hide her face with her notebook. She didn't look because she knew...she knew fate was so very, very cruel to her.

"Forgive me for being late..._sensei._"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kaoru looked at the line of chalk on the chalkboard and wondered whether eating them would kill her on the spot. _Why do you do this to me? WHY? _She thought in misery and she swore she could hear the gods laughing at her.

Kenshin pulled out a chair and sat down, a bit more arrogantly than usual, and smirked. She could feel his gaze even through her notebook and she cursed to herself. She needed to get her act together quickly because her students were waiting for her. She looked back down at the attendance.

"Sagara Sanosu-" And she couldn't even finish saying his name because she sighed again. Even _he_ was in her class. "Sagara Sanosuke?" She called, but she knew he wasn't there. He was nowhere to be seen.

Kaoru closed her notebook with a forced smile and looked around. "Now that attendance is finished, why don't we introduce ourselves?" She put a hand to her chest. "Since I am the English teacher, I want you tell me in English something that you like or a hobby you have." The students already groaned. "It doesn't need to be perfect! Learning a language takes practicing through conversation." She put a finger up. "Okay, I'll start!"

"My name is Kamiya Kaoru! Now, in English! **I like to teach English and I practice Kendo**." Kaoru then walked down the aisle and stood in front of Shishio. "Shishio-san? Please introduce yourself!" She smiled and she thought he would put up more of a fight, but he stood from his desk.

"I'm Shishio…" He said and then looked at Kaoru. "…**and I like fire**." He sat back down. Kaoru nearly fell over at his response, but at least he did what she asked.

"Shishio-san, your accent is pretty good!" Kaoru complimented him. "Now please choose the next person." He looked at Yumi and winked. Kaoru wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept still. Yumi stood from her seat.

"My name is Yumi…**and I like Shishio Makoto**." She said, proudly and sat back down. Kaoru could have told her that herself.

"**Why do you like Shishio-san**?" Kaoru asked and Yumi smiled at him.

"…**I like him because he is kind to me.**" She said and Kaoru actually felt a moment of genuine happiness for them. That quickly disappeared when Kaoru realized that even high school students had better love lives than she did.

Yumi put a finger to her lips as she looked around and thought who to choose next. "Hmmm…Misao-chan." She said.

Misao stood from her chair so abruptly that Kaoru flinched in response. "I am Makimachi Misao and I love to eat!" She said with vigor.

"In English, Misao." Kaoru reminded her.

"**I…**uh**…like food**?" Misao waved her hand as if the word she looked for was in the air and Kaoru nodded in approval.

"**What kind of food**?" Kaoru asked in English and Misao scratched the back of her head.

"Uh…**I like to eat everything**."

"Me too." Kaoru nodded once and laughed. Every student took a turn introducing themselves and Kaoru took note of each of their speaking skill. It was clear to her that they didn't practice conversational skills enough. She would make sure this would change.

"Battousai." Sojiro smiled and Kaoru stiffened. She gripped her hands to her chest as if to make sure her heart didn't jump out. Kenshin stood, but leaned forward with his hands on the desk.

"My name is Himura Kenshin…" He looked at her through the curtain of his bangs and she had this bad feeling. Kaoru passed him a warning glower. "...lately, there has been a stray cat coming to my apartment and even though she bites me…**I like to play with her.**" Her knees wobbled. Some of the female students swooned.

"Let me hand out your textbooks!" Kaoru exclaimed, quickly turning around to hide her heated face. Kaoru asked for Sojiro's help and while the class was distracted with getting their textbooks, Kaoru and Kenshin locked gazes. She was going to kill him.

Since it was the opening ceremony, the class times were cut short. The teachers had to make their rotation and introduce themselves to their other students. Kaoru told her class she would see them tomorrow and they cheerfully bid her farewell. Typically Kaoru would have been happy to receive such positive response, but she could only focus on her irritation. Kaoru and Kenshin briefly locked gazes again as she left the classroom. She noticed that Kenshin stood from his desk and followed her out of the classroom from the back door. Kaoru quickly ran to the end of the hall and then hid under the staircase where no one would see her. Kenshin followed her and when he was close enough, she roughly grabbed him by the collar and dragged him under. Kaoru made sure they were hidden by the shadows.

"You lied to me!" She hissed at him and Kenshin looked at her with mild amusement.

"I never lied to you, sensei." He said.

"You said you are a student at Usui!" She wished she could yell at him at the top of her lungs, but she had to settle with a harsh whisper.

"You asked me which school _my uniform_ was from." He said and Kaoru sighed.

"Why were you wearing the Usui school uniform?"

"I was a student."

Kaoru threw her arms in the air. "Why aren't you over there then?!" She asked in frustration.

"I transferred here months ago." And Kaoru slapped a hand to her face and slowly dragged it down.

"Are you kidding me…? Are you kidding me?" She tried to whisper as quietly as she could. "Why didn't you tell me when we were at the Akabeko?"

"You never asked." He smirked.

Kaoru pointed a shaky finger at him. "Stop doing that!" She hissed.

Kenshin leaned a shoulder against the wall and stared down at her. "Stop what?" He asked and the way he looked at her made her toes curl.

"Stop pretending to be so innocent and naive! I know you're teasing me on purpose!" She crossed her shoulders to appear more confident than she really was, but they both knew the truth. "And what's this 'battousai' huh?" She changed the subject. Kenshin just responded by quirking a rakish grin. "I thought you were a nice guy, but judging by your nickname and how cruelly you tease me..." Her words fell short. Kaoru put a hand to her head and shut her eyes. "I feel like I bought a brand new outfit and just fell in some mud." She sighed, heavily then she glanced at him with panic and gripped his collar again. "If you tell anyone I was at your apartment, I'll strangle you!" She warned. "You better pretend you don't know me!" Kenshin let out a short huff of laughter and stood upright.

"You said it yourself that I still have seven requests left...what will you do if I call you to my apartment again? I've been craving nikujaga lately."

Kaoru looked at him in disbelief. "There's no way I can keep that promise anymore! I'm your teacher now!" She said. "No, no. It's impossible! Make nikujaga by yourself." She shook her head. "I'll just give you lunch money or teach you English after school!" She said, desperately. Kenshin did not appear pleased with those options.

"I'm not allowed to have pets in my apartment..." He said. "...but what do you think, sensei, if I hid that stray cat in a box and carried her home?"

Kaoru lifted an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I _sneak_ into your apartment?" He was more devilish than she thought. Kenshin smirked at her.

"I'm talking about a cat, sensei. What are you talking about?" And there he went with his innocent act again.

"Ooohh! You really are so devious!" She wrung her hands.

"I liked your opening speech, sensei. It sounded awfully familiar to the cat's mewing the other night." He said and Kaoru scoffed.

"The deal is over! No way!" She said, firmly. "Pretend you don't know me!" She warned one last time and she quickly turned to walk away.

"Sensei, I have decided on my first request." He said and Kaoru looked at him in surprise as he walked out from under the stairwell.

"No...no, it's null and void." But he ignored her.

_"_Please take _good _care of me this year_...sensei_." And that rakish and mischievous smirk that she became all too familiar with appeared on his face again.

* * *

"MEGUMI!" Kaoru violently opened the door to the nurse's office. Both Megumi and Sano flinched in surprise. Sano was lying on one of the beds while Megumi sat at her desk.

"Heyy! It's Kao-" Sano went to say, but Kaoru quickly cut him off.

"It's sensei!" She exclaimed and pointed a criticizing finger in his direction. "And you missed homeroom!"

Sano blinked and sat up. "Are you my homeroom teacher, sensei?" And then he laughed. "Wow! What luck!" Then he stood from the bed and approached her. "I promise I'll be there tomorrow." He said and Kaoru eyed him suspiciously.

"Promise? If you don't, I'll hunt you down." She warned and Sano put a hand up.

"I promise."

Megumi sighed and spun around in her chair. "Go to class, Sanosuke." She scolded. "Stop pretending to be hurt." Sano responded by lifting a bandaged hand that looked freshly wrapped.

"But I am hurt, sensei." He smirked and left without another word. Megumi sighed again as Kaoru came to her desk.

Megumi smiled up at her friend. "So how was your first day?" She asked and Kaoru held her fidgeting hands behind her back.

"It wasn't bad! The students said they actually liked my terrible speech. And…_most_ of them were friendly." She said and Megumi shrugged.

"You'll always have a couple students who might cause you trouble. Don't let it get to you." She said and then eyed the door. "Speaking of troubling students…" She said, referring to the rooster head.

Kaoru gave her a hesitant smile. "Yeaah…speaking of troubling students…" She echoed. "Do you know who Himura Kenshin is?" And Megumi was already smiling.

"Of course I know Kenshin-san! He is such a sweetie." Megumi smiled at her knowingly. "_All _the female teachers have a problem with Kenshin-san. Even the principal said she doesn't feel _confident_ sometimes." She said and wiggled her eyebrows at the scandal. Kaoru looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Maybe Kenshin was trouble after all. Maybe she wasn't the only one he teased. "What has he done?"

Megumi leaned back and put her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "He hasn't exactly _done_ anything." She said. "I guess you could say…he kills them with his handsome looks and mysterious character." She snickered. "That's probably why he's called 'battousai'."

"Does he cause you trouble too?" She asked and Megumi looked at her like it was obvious.

"Of course he does! He re-awakens every woman's high school fantasy." She put a finger to her lips as she giggled. Kaoru's jaw dropped.

"Megumi!" She said in a scolding manner. "Teacher-student relationships are prohibited!"

"Oh please! Just because we have these feelings doesn't mean we'll act upon them." She said. "We can look but, not touch."

"You're not supposed to touch _or_ look." She put a hand on her hip and Megumi scowled at her.

"Stop acting like you're so innocent. If he didn't trouble you then you wouldn't have come here to ask me about him." She said and Kaoru's hand dropped from her hip. She definitely couldn't argue with that.

"Megumi, did Himura ever mention a cat…or…his apartment?" She asked.

"No."

"He never teased you or made fun of you?"

Megumi frowned. "Not at all. His conversations are always pleasant and he is very well-mannered." And then Megumi smiled slyly. "But that's what is so interesting… deep down inside he is probably quite mischievous." And Kaoru sighed. If only Megumi knew just how troublesome he really was.

* * *

The next morning, Kaoru was walking up the stairs to the classroom. She was about to round the corner when she noticed the 2nd year science teacher speaking with Kenshin at the top of the staircase. Kaoru gasped and quickly crouched so she was hidden behind the railing. Kaoru peeked at them and narrowed her eyes. Kenshin was speaking to a female teacher and she strained her ears to hear them. Now she could see for herself what kind of games he played with the other teachers.

The teacher smiled up at him as she spoke and Kenshin quietly listened to her. Kaoru watched as she laughed and smacked a flirtatious hand to his chest. Kaoru gasped. _You can't touch a student like that! _He kept his arms to his sides and he appeared…courteous. He nodded every so often and spoke one or two words, but other than that, he mostly stood silent. Kaoru looked at him in confusion. Where was the devious Kenshin from yesterday? Where was that roguish smirk? Where was that dangerous glint in his eye? Kaoru turned around and sat on the step. He was acting so obedient. Perhaps he had a twin?

"What are you doing?"

Kaoru gasped and quickly stood. Kenshin was standing behind her. He must have caught her as he was walking down.

"Hey…" She looked at him as he walked down so he could meet her eye to eye. "…do you have a twin or something?" She asked and he smirked.

"Why do you ask, sensei?" He said and Kaoru shook it off.

"No reason!" And she turned around to walk to class. "Hey!" She suddenly exclaimed and ran after him down the stairs. She gripped the back of his collar before he went too far. "Where are you going? You have class on the third floor!" She said and tried to tug him back up the stairs. "You aren't thinking of skipping, are you?"

"Sensei…"

"Don't try to argue against me! You are going to class!" She tugged and Kenshin touched her hand on the back of his collar. She stiffened at the touch of his hand and he turned around to face her. He took her hand off, but did not ungrasp it.

"I was asked to retrieve something from teacher's office." He said and Kaoru pulled her hand away.

She blushed. "Oh." And Kenshin smirked at her once before he turned around and continued down the hall.

* * *

"Ouch!" Mr. Kamiya looked from the television to his daughter, who was sucking on her finger. She was trying to chop some cabbage when she sliced her thumb. He wasn't too surprised she cut herself because her mind was clearly elsewhere. He could have plucked the knife out of her hand and she probably wouldn't have even noticed.

"Are you alright, Kaoru?"

Kaoru ran her finger under some water. "Yeah, it's not bleeding."

"No, I mean, are you _alright_?" He emphasized. She looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you seem out of it...not to mention you've insisted to cook dinner every night. The last time your mother insisted she would cook dinner, she was mad at me and I think she tried to poison me." He couldn't help but smile at the memory.

Kaoru pursed her lips and went to cut the onions next. "You're the one who says I need to find a boyfriend." He raised his brows.

"You're practicing how to cook for a boyfriend?" Kaoru didn't respond because that wasn't exactly the truth. She was practicing so she could prove to Kenshin she could do more than just wash dishes.

Her father looked over her shoulder. "What are you making tonight? Don't tell me we're having nikujaga again..." Kaoru paused and her father groaned.

"Ni-nikujaga is tasty! What's wrong with it?" She asked.

"Nothing, but not when we eat it every night." He said as he went to prepare the rice. "No! I'll do the rice too!" She stopped him and he put his hands up as she pushed him away. Mr. Kamiya stared at his daughter and sighed. She never worked so hard to prepare a meal before. She was too easy to read that it was rather embarrassing.

"Hey, dad...?" Kaoru asked as she started to peel the potatoes.

"Hm?"

"Were you mean to mom when you first met her?"

"Mean?"

Kaoru kept her attention on the potatoes. "Like...did you tease her often? Did you purposefully try to embarrass her?"

Mr. Kamiya chuckled silently behind her daughter's back. "Of course not! Why would I be mean to the girl I liked?" He said and Kaoru looked at him. "You're nice to the people you like and you're cruel to the people you dislike. Isn't that how it is?"

Kaoru frowned to herself. "That is how it is...isn't it...?" She echoed and went back to peeling the potatoes.

"...but when you find someone you can be natural with, you don't hold anything back, right? I tried to come across as cool to others, but to your mother...I was just a softie. How could I have been mean to her when that isn't who I am?" Kaoru looked at him again. "Maybe if I was someone who liked to tease and was naturally mischievous...then of course I would show that side to the girl I like. I would tease her relentlessly because she accepted me for it." He said with all seriousness. He watched from the corner of his eye as a blush stained her cheeks.

"I guess that's true..." Kaoru said.

"Don't let him get to you too much." He cleared his throat and Kaoru dropped a potato.

"Him?"

"Yeah. Yahiko, right?" He smiled, knowingly. "He only pretends to hate you. Don't let his teasing upset you." He said and Kaoru looked relieved.

"Oh, yes. You're right! Can't get anything passed you!" She laughed and her father smiled to himself. His daughter was just too easy.

* * *

"What is this?" Aoshi asked as he opened the bento Kaoru handed him. Kaoru nervously fidgeted in the seat across from him.

"Uh...well, Megumi is sick of my food and I need someone to try it." She said. Aoshi opened it to find leftover nikujaga. "I think my father has permanently lost his sense of taste from my cooking." She admitted.

"Not exactly the most comforting thing to hear but...it looks harmless." He sniffed it.

"_Looks_." Kaoru emphasized. Aoshi stabbed one of the potatoes with his chopstick. "I'll pay for your medical expenses if you're rushed to the hospital." She reassured him.

"Weren't you the one who caused the oven to explode during cooking cla-" He began.

"Yes!" Kaoru cut him off. She didn't need to be reminded. "But that was years ago and I've improved." Somehow Aoshi was not convinced.

"Well, thank you for the meal." He said and took a bite of the potato. It tasted alright. The texture seemed fine. Kaoru watched as he took a bite of a carrot next. Aoshi held the same expression the entire time. He moved on to a cube of beef. He chewed carefully and paused after he swallowed.

"Senpai?" She asked. "Are you alright? Can you see? Can you hear?"

Aoshi looked at her. "So far, so good. It's tasty." He said and she sighed loudly in relief.

"As expected, I can always rely on you, senpai." She smiled as he continued to eat.

"The rice is a little dry though." He said.

"Damn..." Kaoru sighed and let her chin rest in her hand. She glanced out the window into the courtyard. The weather was particularly nice that day so, many students were eating their lunch outside. Her eyes fell upon a small group of male students standing under the shade of a tree. Upon closer inspection, Kaoru realized it was her students. Soijiro, Shishio, Kenshin, and Sano stood around each other. From where she sat on the second floor, she could see the flames of wrath surrounding them.

"Uh oh. Are they going to fight?" Kaoru was about to run down and stop them.

Aoshi didn't even bother looking. "Of course not. They're friends."

"What? They look like murder is on their minds!" She argued.

"Think about who they are." He said and Kaoru sat back down. She supposed he was right. Each one of them was so intense and daunting. Putting them together in a group just multiplied their aura of force. She thought they were going to fight, but now she could see they were all chuckling with each other.

"They most likely disliked each other in the beginning, but I'm sure that turned into respect."

"I bet Shishio looks angry even when he's brushing his teeth..." She laughed at the image in her mind.

Aoshi finally looked at them. "Soijiro is probably one of the more concerning ones." He said and Kaoru looked at him.

"What? How can you tell?"

"Let's say it's a fighter's intuition." He said. "I would hate to make him angry." Kaoru shivered because she knew never to doubt Aoshi's word.

"Well, that won't stop me from asking him how his eyelashes are so nicely curled." She laughed to herself and looked back into the courtyard. She noticed there were a group of girls admiring them from afar. "Oh? They have a fan club." Unfortunately for the girls, they didn't seem concerned with them at least one bit. If only the guys knew that that made them more popular.

Kaoru looked at Aoshi. "Did you know you have a fan club too, senpai? You had one in high school too." She chuckled.

"Did I? I didn't notice." Kaoru believed him because she knew he was just _that_ oblivious.

"Yeah! I was part of it during my first year." She wasn't afraid to admit it. Aoshi gave her what he called a smile, but what others called a glare.

"Thank you." He responded and Kaoru burst out with laughter because she knew that was what he would say.

Kaoru looked out the window again. She suddenly gasped and flattened herself against the table. Aoshi didn't even bother asking her what was wrong. He knew her well enough to leave her be. Kaoru blushed and her heart pounded furiously. Kenshin was looking at her. She caught his gaze and he must have known she was watching him. Hiding from him probably didn't make her look any better. Kaoru glanced sheepishly at Aoshi who was finishing up her bento.

"Your cooking was better than I thought." He said and thanked her. "I'll gladly try more dishes that you make."

"Sure thing!" She said while her body was still flat against the table. Aoshi looked at her.

"There will be someone out there who finds your quirkiness charming." He tried to reassure her and Kaoru laughed in embarrassment.

"Thanks, senpai."

* * *

To her father's relief, Kaoru made something else for dinner other than nikujaga. Now that she was more confident in making it, she moved on to other dishes.

After dinner, Kaoru went up to her room and stretched as she fell onto her futon. She sighed and picked at a loose thread on her pillow.

"She was pretty..." Kaoru mumbled to herself and then hid her face in the pillow.

When Kaoru was heading home the other day, Sanosuke ran up from behind her.

"Hey, little lady." He greeted.

"Sensei." She corrected, but Sano looked at the ground. Kaoru followed his gaze and found they were a couple feet outside the school gates.

"You're only 'sensei' when we're in school." He said and Kaoru continued walking.

"Fair enough." She said and she noticed Kenshin was ahead of them. She looked at Sano, who began to whistle. "Why aren't you walking with Himura?" She asked and then she noticed he was already walking with someone. He was walking with a female student. "Who's that?" She asked.

"Tomoe. A 2nd year." The girl was slender and from what Kaoru could tell, she was very elegant. She had long, black hair that cascaded down her back like water. When she turned to say a few words to Kenshin, Kaoru could tell she was also beautiful. She was everything Kaoru was not.

"Girlfriend?" She asked.

Sano shrugged. "I don't know. Kenshin doesn't talk about her much. He's apparently been in love with this one girl for years. That might be her."

"Really?!" Kaoru said a little too loudly and she slapped a hand to her mouth. She earned herself many curious stares. She even got one from Kenshin. "Really?" She asked again, but more quietly. She wondered if that was why Kenshin decided to come to such a small town. Maybe he came back for her? She didn't picture Kenshin as the romantic type.

"Kenshin doesn't say much, but that's what I know."

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin and Tomoe again. She suddenly felt very lonely and was happy to have Sano walk with her. Kaoru felt a curious sense of relief that Kenshin had someone who loved him, but then again...she also didn't feel _great._

Kaoru grumbled and turned onto her back. She didn't understand why she kept picturing the two together. It wasn't any of her business. Perhaps Kaoru was shocked that Kenshin actually interacted with another female. It's not like it was unnatural. He was still a high school student. Boys talked to girls all the time. Hormones were raging at that age.

Maybe she became too big-headed and thought she was the only female to enter his apartment. Maybe she thought she would be a special person in his life because she got to know him. Maybe she thought only the two of them would share a secret about each other. Maybe she thought she was the only one...

Kaoru abruptly sat up and slapped her hands on the bed. "This is good! If he has a girlfriend to distract him then he'll leave me alone!" She nodded to herself. "My job is more important anyway." She said and lay back down. Kaoru put the pillow over her face as if to suffocate herself. "This is ridiculous." She mumbled.

Kaoru's phone began to ring and she blindly searched for it while she kept the pillow on her face. She managed to grab it and lazily answered the phone. It was probably Megumi complaining about how her cooking gave her stomach pains again.

"Sorry, Megu. What happened this time?" She sighed and there was a low chuckle on the other end.

"Good evening, sensei."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kenshin raised an eyebrow when he opened his door and found Kaoru in a full disguise. It was late in the evening and yet Kaoru wore large shades to hide her face and a scarf was wrapped around her head. Did she not realize that this only attracted more attention to her? No matter how ridiculous she might have appeared, she was not going to take any chances.

Kaoru shoved a plastic bag into his hands. "Here are your snacks and ice cream!" She glanced around.

When Kaoru heard his voice over the phone, she abruptly sat up in bed.

"Himura? Why are you calling me?" She exclaimed.

"Bring me ice cream and a bag chips. Whatever kind you want." And he hung up without another word.

"Wha-? Hello? Hello? Himura!" Kaoru yelled into the phone and then looked at it as if it just insulted her. Kaoru tossed her phone far away from her and scoffed. She crossed her arms and looked away. She wasn't going to go. She absolutely was _not_ going to go. Instead, she went to the bathroom and took a shower. "I'm not going! There is no way I'm going!" She kept saying to herself, but the moment she walked back into her room and saw her phone laying on the floor, she released a loud groan and rushed to get dressed.

"How were you able to see wearing those sunglasses in the dark?" He smiled in mild amusement.

Kaoru rubbed her arm in pain. "Trust me...it wasn't easy." She bumped into many things on the walk over. "Well...see you at school!" She said and quickly spun around to leave, but Kenshin was quicker.

"Ack!" Kaoru stumbled backwards as he grabbed her by her hood and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them. Kenshin walked into his living room and set the bag on the table. He then walked back over to Kaoru and pulled off the shades and scarf. "I thought you just wanted me to buy you snacks!" She said, fixing her hair. Kenshin remained quiet and pulled her to sit on the floor of the living room. She obediently did so and simply watched him with a blank stare.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked, disappearing into the kitchen.

"D-do you have juice?" He reappeared a moment later with two cups of juice and two spoons in his hand. He set the cup in front of her and sat down beside her. "What am I doing here?" She finally had the chance to ask him.

"You're fulfilling a request." He said and opened the pint of ice cream she brought for him, then handed her a spoon.

"Are we sharing this?" She asked, but he didn't respond. No wonder he told her to choose whichever flavor she wanted. Kenshin also opened the bag of chips. "Um..." She looked at him. "...what exactly is the request I'm fulfilling?" Kenshin grabbed the television remote and switched on a movie. Kaoru gasped.

"A horror movie?!" She quickly grabbed the remote from him and pressed pause, then turned to him. "_This_ is the request? You want me to watch a horror movie with you while we eat snacks?" Kenshin tilted his head as he stared at her and his lips quirked into a grin.

"I'm too scared to watch horror movies by myself." He said and Kaoru scoffed.

"You're not even _trying_ to make your lie sound convincing." Kaoru then grabbed the ice cream. She was already there, so she supposed she might as well eat the snacks she bought. She did buy her favorite after all. "Okay, fine." She said and she ate a spoonful of the double chocolate ice cream. "But don't blame me if your girlfriend gets angry at you for not inviting her instead."

"I don't have a girlfriend." He said and Kaoru looked at him.

She then smiled and slapped his arm. "Eyyy, don't be shy to admit it! I saw that girl with you!" She said and without another word she pressed play.

Kaoru didn't want to admit that she loved horror films even though they absolutely terrified her. She was one of those fools who enjoyed the film at the moment, but then suffered once they had to sleep. Kaoru attempted to appear nonchalant and the film didn't start off too terrifying. She was deeply engrossed in the plot and she failed to notice that she was the only one who ate the snacks. Kenshin simply sat back and found amusement in Kaoru's behavior and facial expressions. Of course Kenshin lied about being scared of horror films or even wanting to watch one. He didn't even watch television in general.

Kaoru eventually had to sacrifice eating because she needed her hands to cover her eyes. "No, no! You fool! Don't look under the bed! Why would you look under the bed?!" She yelled at the screen and Kenshin laughed quietly to himself. Just before an obvious scare was about to occur, Kaoru paused the movie and turned to Kenshin.

"What is it?"

"I need to use your restroom." She said and he nodded to a door down the hallway. Kaoru remained still. "I need you to take me there." Kenshin furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"I'm too scared to go myself." She said in all seriousness and Kenshin brought a hand to his mouth to hide his laughter. Kaoru crossed her arms. "This is your fault, you know. You asked me to watch a horror movie and now you pay the price. You either walk me to the bathroom or I'll go on your floor." She warned and Kenshin's response was to stand and walk her to the bathroom. Kaoru made him stand by the far wall and she ordered him to wait there. Kaoru shut the door and when Kenshin heard her wash her hands, he scratched his fingernails against the wall. Kaoru shrieked and raced out of his bathroom. She ran to him and tightly gripped the front of his shirt.

"You're lucky I went to the bathroom or I would have had an accident on your bathroom floor!" She scolded. Kenshin laughed silently as he shut off the bathroom light that she failed to turn off when she ran out.

When the movie was over, Kaoru released a breath that she was holding. "I'm going to regret watching that when I'm by myself later..." She mumbled and Kenshin watched her. "My stomach hurts." She rubbed her stomach. "I feel like I ate most of the ice cream." Kenshin wasn't going to tell her that she did.

"Would you like some tea to help with the bloating?"

"Yes please." She groaned. Kenshin went to the kitchen and she could hear him put the kettle on the stove. So, what now? Now that the movie was over, what did he want to do now? Kaoru pulled put her phone and glanced at the time. It was close to 10pm. Thankfully they didn't have school tomorrow, but it was already so late. She should have refused the tea.

Kaoru sighed and just grabbed the remote. She began to search other horror movie titles out of curiosity. "It has a sequel?" She gasped quietly to herself. Kenshin soon returned with her cup of tea and as he sat down, she asked what he wanted to do now. They both glanced at the screen and Kaoru smiled.

"You want to watch another one?"

* * *

Kaoru sat up in a slight panic and looked around, frantically. For a moment, she forgot where she was and how she got there. She realized she was still on the floor of Kenshin's living room and there was a blanket on her, which she assumed Kenshin had given to her during the night. Kaoru wrung her hands through her hair. She fell asleep? She tried to think back to the last memory she had. She and Kenshin ended up watching three movies altogether. She must have fallen asleep sometime during the third film. She searched for her phone in a hurry. She spent the night at a student's apartment! _I must be crazy! There must be something wrong with my brain!_

Kaoru gasped when she looked at the time. "eig-eight?" Kaoru put a hand to her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming. How could she let herself fall asleep? She needed to leave quickly before Kenshin woke up and before her father realized she wasn't home. She glanced down the hallway and the door to his bedroom was still closed. She grabbed her things, put on the sunglasses, and pulled her hood over her head. She began to sneak over to the door. _Quietly…quietlyyyy…_

"Good morning, sensei."

Kaoru shrieked and collapsed to the floor. Kenshin was leaning against the kitchen counter and he watched her while he calmly drank a cup of tea. Kaoru sighed and fell against the wall, pulling off the sunglasses.

"I've lost ten years of my life...You're scarier than the ghosts in the horror films." She put a hand to her heart. She then shoved a finger in his direction. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Do you know how to wake a person from the dead?" He asked, sarcastically. Kaoru put a hand to her forehead.

"If my dad finds out I spent the night at a guy's house…" She began. Kenshin then walked over and crouched in front of her with a smirk. "Breakfast?" He asked a little too sweetly. It was clear he was making fun of her again.

"I've got to get home!" She said and pushed him away. "Maybe next time!" And she ran out the door.

Luckily, her father was in the dojo when Kaoru made it home. If she snuck back inside and pretended she was home the entire time, he would never know she hadn't returned last night.

Kaoru washed up and walked down for lunch as if everything was normal. She eyed her father carefully when she walked into the kitchen and she waited to see if he would mention anything. He smiled at her as he set the table.

"Lunch is ready!" He said and served soup in some bowls. Kaoru slowly sat down and continued to eye him. Everything seemed normal so far. She thanked him for the meal as he sat down and Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he hadn't noticed her absence. Kaoru took a sip of the soup.

"So when did you get back this morning?" Her father asked and soup spewed from her mouth.

* * *

"What is it this time?" Aoshi asked as he opened the bento. Kaoru smiled, but still hesitantly.

"Uhh…I tried to make *doria." She said. "Since, it isn't hot anymore, the cheese might be congealed."

Aoshi sniffed it. "Looks okay. Smells okay."

"I'm warning you that this is only the second time I've made it." And she reassured him again that she would pay for any medical expenses he might acquire. She watched nervously as Aoshi took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.

"It's good."

And she exhaled noisily in relief. "You're lucky. My father was on the toilet the first time I made it." Aoshi smiled.

The door opened with a loud 'bang' and Kaoru was surprised to see Misao in the doorway, looking quite upset.

She pointed an accusing finger at Kaoru. "So it's true!" She yelled and stomped over to them.

"Wh-what's true?" Kaoru hesitated and Misao's lower lip trembled.

"I was told that Kaoru-sensei has been seen eating lunch with Aoshi-sensei!" She looked at Aoshi. "Are you two dating?" She asked and Kaoru choked.

"Da-dating!?" She said and glanced at Aoshi, who continued to eat calmly. "I think you've misundersto-"

"Don't try to lie to me, sensei!" Misao wouldn't hear it. Kaoru put her hands up and grinned timidly.

"Misao…" She tried to say.

"Aoshi-sensei wouldn't date someone like you, right?" Misao said and Kaoru's mouth fell open.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean!?" She asked and Misao opened her mouth to argue again.

"Misao." Both ladies turned their attention to Aoshi, who was still eating. "Kamiya-san and I are not dating." He looked at her and Misao quickly went quiet. She almost looked upset and Kaoru thought she was about to cry. Kaoru was surprised when a big smile suddenly appeared on Misao's face.

"Okay! See you later, Kaoru-sensei!" And Misao ran out as quickly as she came in. Kaoru still looked at the spot Misao stood last and she blinked slowly.

"What…what the...what the heck was that?" Kaoru turned to Aoshi.

"Nothing. Just a student who seems to admire me...often." He said and Kaoru looked at him as if he insulted her intelligence.

"Senpai…she was practically begging you to have her babies." She said and Aoshi's icy exterior finally cracked. He sighed loudly and put a hand to his face.

"Is it really that bad?" He asked and Kaoru tried to figure out the best way to prove her point.

"If I told her we were dating…I would have woken tomorrow buried alive. This would have turned into a horror, revenge movie very quickly." She said with a teasing smile.

* * *

Kaoru tapped her knuckle against the blackboard to quiet down the class and they quickly settled down and turned their attention to her. Kenshin leaned back and watched her with amusement. Kaoru learned to ignore his mocking smirks so she cleared her throat and smiled broadly.

"Guess what is coming up next month?" She said in a sing-song voice and danced a little.

"The cultural festival!" Someone called out and she clapped her hands once.

"Precisely!" She said and placed an empty cardboard box on the table. "I want all of you to write down an idea of what the class can do and then put your suggestion in the box. I'll read each one and we'll vote." The class became quiet as each student wrote their idea on a piece of paper and one by one they placed their suggestion in the box. When the last student dropped in their paper, Kaoru reached inside and pulled one out.

"Haunted house." She said and a few students lifted their hands in agreement. Kaoru sighed. "I know a haunted house is always popular, but we need to be a bit more creative. There is most likely going to be another class who chooses to do the same thing." And the students nodded their heads in disappointment. "Next!" She said and pulled out another suggestion. "The Aoshi-senpai fan café…" She said and there was only one person whose hand shot up in the air. The whole class groaned and someone threw a crumpled ball of paper at Misao's head.

"Why not?!" She argued, but she crossed her arms and sank in her chair. Kaoru pulled out another suggestion.

"Fire building techniques?" Kaoru said in a confused voice and once again there was only one student whose hand shot up in the air. She quickly read another suggestion. "A fight club?" Kaoru then shot Sanosuke a warning glower and he shrugged.

"I think it's a good idea." He said and Kaoru reached inside for another paper. She quickly crumpled it and tossed it behind her while she laughed nervously.

"Hah! haha...ha...t-that one was a blank." She lied and then shot daggers at Kenshin. Watching her reactions was just too fun. He guessed Kaoru didn't like his doodle of an angry, hissing cat.

"Our class is really this unimaginative?" A female student asked with a dejected expression. Kaoru began to think all hope was lost after she read suggestion after suggestion.

"There are still some more suggestions." Kaoru said and pulled out the next piece of paper. "Commemorative cosplay?" Kaoru said and then lifted the piece of paper. "Who wrote this one?" And Sojiro raised his hand.

"I did." He smiled and Kaoru asked him to explain.

"This doesn't sound too bad." She said.

"It's a fairly simple idea. We'll provide the students with props and costumes they can wear with their friends. Then we can take commemorative Polaroid pictures and give it to them. We can charge 100 yen per photo." He explained and Kaoru clapped her hands.

"That's a great idea!" She said.

"It could make a good high school memory!"

"Those of us who aren't going to be with a club or team can wear costumes and walk around to advertise!"

Kaoru snapped her fingers and raised her hand. "Right! So raise your hand if you think Sojiro's idea is the best?" And it was no surprise to her that every single hand shot in the air.

* * *

"So I heard a veerrrry interesting rumor the other day." Tae smiled as she sat across from Kaoru.

Kaoru paused eating and glanced at her. "Don't tell me…"

"Someone's father was very happy to announce to my family that his daughter appeared to _finally_ have a boyfriend." Tae said. "Imagine the nagging I had to listen to after your father left."

Kaoru dropped her spoon and dropped her head in her heads. "It's not what you think…I just didn't know what to tell my father." She said.

"So who is it?"

"Who?"

"Who is your supposed 'boyfriend'?" Tae asked and Kaoru chewed on her bottom lip. When Kaoru revealed to Tae who it was, Tae put a hand to her lips and released a hoot of laughter. Tae then tightly gripped Kaoru's arm and wouldn't let her leave until she told her the truth.

"You _spent the night_…? at _his place_?" She gasped.

"It's not like that!" Kaoru said, frantically. "I just fell asleep on the floor of his living room."

"But the point is…you still went to his apartment and spent time with him." Tae snickered. She knew Kaoru and Kenshin had a chemistry they could not deny. Call it what they wanted…they were seeing each other because of undeniable attraction.

Tae crossed her arms. "What is with this "seven favors"? It's so tacky!" She shuddered. What a cheesy excuse to see each other. Honestly…she thought Kaoru would have been a little more creative. This wasn't a romantic comedy or something.

Kaoru rubbed her arm in embarrassment. "I don't think it's a good idea I go his apartment anymore. That will probably be the last time I visit."

But of course that wasn't true…because how would the story continue?

Sure enough, Saturday evening rolled around and Kaoru received another phone call that she pretended to find annoying.

"Heading over to your boyfriend's again?" Her father teased as she made her way out the door.

Kaoru glowered at him. "Don't wait up." She told him and he chuckled.

"Oh, I won't."

Kaoru grumbled when Kenshin opened his door to invite her in. "You're creating a lot of trouble for me, you know…" She was wearing her ridiculous disguise again. Kaoru entered and she found it was becoming less and less awkward each time she visited. "So what is your request this time?" She asked as she pulled off the scarf around her head.

Kenshin looked like he just returned from training. His hands and feet were still taped and Kaoru could see his sword leaning against the wall just next to his door. Kaoru wished she could watch him fight. She only heard of his skills, but she never actually seen him in action.

"I'm hungry." He said and she scoffed.

"You're a better cook than I am, remember?" She said, sardonically.

"Doesn't mean you can't make me something."

Kaoru sighed and showed him a bag she brought. "I thought you would ask me to make you something, so I went shopping before I got here."

Kenshin smirked. "So what will you teach me to make this time?" He asked.

"I'm not going to teach you how to make anything!" She said. "You probably already know how to make doria anyway." Kenshin smiled to himself. Again…another simple dish.

Kaoru walked to the kitchen. "This time you'll be shocked by my cooking skill." And Kaoru had to make sure she thanked Aoshi-senpai again for trying her meals and not dying.

"I'm looking forward to it." He said and Kaoru pushed him towards his bedroom.

"Just go take a shower." She said. "You stink of sweat." But he didn't. She just needed him to go away so she could concentrate.

Kaoru had to prepare the rice first and this time, she made sure she added the correct amount of water. She could hear Kenshin start up the shower and Kaoru suddenly realized that she never cooked for another male other than her father. It was a very strange and new sensation for her to be using his kitchen.

Kenshin was quick to shower and he walked out while drying his hair. Kaoru was able to get a strong whiff of his soap even without turning around to face him. When she did turn around, she gasped and reflexively threw a spoon at him. He looked at her when it bounced off his shoulder.

"Would you put on a shirt?" She said as he bent over and picked up the spoon.

"I don't like putting on a shirt when my hair is wet." He said and Kaoru put a hand on her hip.

"This might be your apartment, but I'm a guest and walking around half-naked is inappropriate." She scolded as he went to put the spoon into the sink. "I'm also your teacher!" She reminded him, grabbing the spoon from him and smacking him with it. Kenshin smirked at her as he took his shirt that he had hanging over his shoulder and while he put it on, Kaoru scooped out the cooked rice. "Kids these days have no manners…" She tsked.

"Has anyone ever told you that the tip of your tongue is like the tip of a knife?" He asked and Kaoru did not look at him as she combined ingredients in a bowl.

"And who do you think is the one who sharpens it?" She eyed him, testing him and waiting. Kenshin smiled to himself and finished drying his hair while Kaoru put the doria in the oven for the finishing touches. "I'm telling you...you're going to get sick if you keep walking around like that." She warned. Kenshin pulled the towel off his head and Kaoru picked away a piece of fluff that was in his hair. Kenshin quietly watched her as she did so and she blushed upon realizing she acted without thinking. Thankfully, the oven timer went off and Kaoru ordered Kenshin to sit.

Kaoru served a plate of her creation and she was satisfied with the way it turned out. She would prove to him this time that she was better at cooking than he thought.

"You've been practicing and working hard, I see." He said as she sat across from him with a plate of her own.

"Of course not. This is just natural talent." She said, but watched nervously as Kenshin took his first bite. He raised his gaze to look at her.

"Your practice paid off." He said and Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

"I know you're complimenting me, but it sounds so mocking." She said, but thanked him anyway. "I did work hard." She admitted and took a bite as well. "Hey…" She chewed and pointed to his sword with her spoon. "…take me with you next time." She said. "…when you train. I want to watch you." Kenshin looked at her, questioningly. "It's not often you meet a world champion sword fighter. I should take advantage of the situation, no?" She asked.

"If you like." He said and Kaoru appeared satisfied. "You might be bored."

"No way! Have you forgotten who I am?" She said and then she straightened in her seat. "Make sure you take me next time." Before Kenshin could respond, his phone suddenly went off and Kaoru was able to catch a glimpse at the name that appeared across the screen. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hello?" He answered and Kaoru continued to eat, pretending the phone call did not annoy her even in the slightest bit. "Not today. I'll stop by tomorrow." And Kaoru glanced at him when he hung up.

"Your girlfriend will get mad at you if you don't pay enough attention to her." She said. "I might be your teacher, but I'm still a female. She will be jealous." She added.

"She will be alright." He said and for a moment, Kaoru was surprised he didn't try to deny that he had a girlfriend again.

"She's very pretty. I saw her walking home with you." She said and Kenshin looked at her.

"You might know of her brother." He said and Kaoru frowned. "Yukishiro Enishi."

She lifted her brows. "They're siblings?" And Kenshin nodded his head. Enishi was a known fighter in Chinese sword art. "Does Tomoe also practice sword fighting?

Kenshin shook his head once. "As far as I know, Tomoe has been anemic since she was young."

Kaoru nodded with sympathy. "Ahhh…I see. So she is the delicate flower type. She is very much a lady, isn't she? She did give me that impression…" And Kaoru crossed her arms. "You know how every year the school makes the students take a physical exam?" Kenshin nodded and Kaoru tsked. "Many of the girls in my class would fake being too weak to complete the running portion…" And she huffed. "…_every time_ I tried to pull that trick my teacher would scold me for trying to lie my way out of the test. They would make me run _twice_ the distance in the same amount of time just to prove a point." She put up two fingers as emphasis and she pursed her lips at the memory. "Those crazy, bald-headed geezers…" She grumbled and Kenshin hid a smile behind his hand. She then sighed and continued to eat. "I'm sure she doesn't want to burden you, especially when she knows you're so active. Girls try to act tough and strong, but deep down we are fragile too. So make sure you take good care of her." She said and Kenshin slowly lifted his gaze and eyed her.

"I will."

*Doria is like Japan's version of gratin. It's cheesy and oh so delicious.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"A stunt gym?" Kaoru shielded her eyes of the sun as she and Kenshin stood in front of a large white building. She looked at him. "This is where you train?"

"This is where I practice." He made the distinction and Kaoru followed him inside. It was understandably a very large building which explained why it was on the outskirts of the town. Within the building were multiple rooms with mats, trampolines, wires, and other equipment. Kaoru stared in amazement at the people practicing in each room. Kenshin had to pull her along a couple times because she fell behind.

"What do you do here?" She asked as they entered a room with surrounding mirrors.

Kenshin looked at her over his shoulder. "You'll see."

Already in the room was a large group of men, practicing with what looked to be costume swords. It was loud inside with their shouts and the sound of their clashing swords. Upon seeing Kenshin enter the room, many of them stopped and greeted him.

Kenshin immediately introduced her to them. "This is Kamiya's daughter." Kaoru bowed to greet them. She didn't recognize any of them, but they seemed to know her and her father.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Kamiya Kaoru." She said, slightly overwhelmed. She was still trying to figure out what they were doing there.

"Your father lets us use his dojo sometimes." One said.

Kaoru nodded. "Ahh...I see." She was surprised she had never seen them before. An older gentleman asked her if she was interested in stage combat and choreography. Kaoru glanced at Kenshin. "Choreography?" She echoed.

"Himura assists our choreographers." A stuntman clapped Kenshin on the shoulder and grinned. Kaoru was taken aback.

"Is this choreography for a movie or...performance?" Kaoru asked in bewilderment.

"That's right. It's for an upcoming historical film."

"How do you know Kenshin?" Another choreographer asked. When she revealed she was his high school teacher, they all hesitated. Kaoru looked at Kenshin and she smiled at him.

"I'm not here to stop him. I'm here to support him." She said and reassured them that she wasn't going to take Kenshin off their team.

"He might be young, but he knows what he's doing."

Kaoru smiled, proudly, as if they were complimenting her own son.

"Give me five minutes." Kenshin told the crew with a nod and he stepped to the side while Kaoru followed him.

"This is what you've been doing all this time?" She asked as Kenshin pulled off his shirt. She was shocked by the news.

"It happened by chance. I just continued to help them afterward." Kenshin said while putting on a different shirt.

"Are you able to balance this with school? I didn't realize you are so busy." She held her hands tightly.

Kenshin looked at her. "Are you worried about me, sensei?"

Kaoru scowled. "As a teacher, yes. As a bystander, no." And Kenshin smirked in response.

"I'll be fine." He said as he rummaged through his bag for tape.

"So, you studied kenjutsu and performance fighting too? She asked as Kenshin began to tape his hands and feet.

"I guess it came as a package." He said and used a lighter to heat the tape on the bottom of his foot. Kaoru stepped closer to the wall and glanced around. Kenshin really was amazing.

"Wow...this is..." She was speechless. "I didn't realize...I thought you were just training...I didn't realize it was so much more than that." She said and Kenshin put a gentle hand on her head.

"Just sit and watch." And Kenshin grabbed a sword and joined the others.

"I made changes to make it run more smoothly." The lead choreographer said and showed Kenshin the changes in steps. Kenshin learned quickly and each time Kenshin demonstrated a move, Kaoru's heart beat just a little faster. She grew heated and she wasn't sure if it was because it was hot in the room...or if it was for an entirely different reason.

Kenshin gave the choreographer his opinion and told the stunt team to prepare. He was going to test the choreography. Kaoru held her breath when Kenshin suddenly took his stance and waited for the first attack. It was Kenshin against 20. He was fast and his attacks, although fake, were precise and powerful. She watched as he moved through the group like water. He flipped and jumped, dodging attacks with fluidity and efficiency. Not only did he use his sword, but he used techniques of hand to hand combat. All she could see was a blur. Kaoru noticed that the moves weren't meant to be flashy. Kenshin was testing to see how realistic the fight would be. Each move was carefully thought out and was meant to help the samurai escape the group of enemies rather than try to kill them all.

The choreographer called for a break and Kaoru quickly stood. She handed Kenshin his towel and water. He was damp with sweat and his hair was mussed. Kaoru could only stare at him blankly.

Kaoru knew Kenshin as the mischievous student, but that day Kaoru didn't know who he was anymore. He wasn't playful, but focused and serious. The usual glint in his eye was different and he commanded the room with his presence. Kaoru was frightened because he wasn't a kid...he was a man. And Kaoru became painfully aware of this with each passing moment.

"I see now how talented you really are." She said as he wiped his neck of sweat. "I'm very impressed." As someone who trained in Kendo herself, she could see the clear difference in skill he possessed over others. He made fighting look easy and she knew all too well that it wasn't. To move at such speed required power and he never sacrificed form. She was thoroughly impressed. Kaoru frowned and Kenshin noticed.

"What is it?" He asked and Kaoru bit her lip.

"What are you doing here?" She looked up at him.

"I told you..."

She put up a hand. "No, not that...I mean, you're so incredibly talented so why are you _here_? In this small town where there is nothing?" She looked around.

He lowered his gaze to the floor. "Even people who eat caviar every day are jealous of those who can eat a simple meal of rice and miso soup."

Kaoru sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly. "Okay, so you don't like being in the spotlight and you escaped that lifestyle...I understand. I won't force you to go back to that time, but..." Kaoru leaned her head to the side. "...don't you think there is somewhere else that can offer you so much more than here?" Kaoru didn't want him to think she was chasing him away, but it almost seemed like his talents were being wasted.

"Maybe there is such a place, but there is more here for me than you think. There isn't '_nothing_' here." He said and Kaoru glanced to the side.

"...don't tell me..." She began. Was he really here for _her?_ Perhaps Tomoe was more important to him than she thought? She looked at him again. "You don't regret being here?" She asked. If that was his decision...who was she to judge him for it?

"I don't chase for the spotlight. I never did. You said it yourself that we should do what we are most passionate about. That's what I'm doing now." And Kenshin responded by raising his fist like she did during the opening ceremony. Kaoru blushed in embarrassment and smacked him on the arm with his water bottle.

* * *

Kaoru was surprised that the practice lasted for as long as it did. They must have been there for at least 6 hours. Despite being there for so long, Kaoru was never bored. The fighting was just too entertaining and at one point they even let her try a little. Kaoru snuck out and bought some prepared lunch boxes from a nearby convenient store. She figured Kenshin would be hungry by the end of it. He collapsed against the mirror beside her and shut his eyes. Kaoru patted his arm.

"You worked hard today." She said and handed him a bottle of juice. He thanked her and she unpacked the bento for him. "I bought us lunch since I figured you would be really hungry." Her stomach chose to grumble loudly at that exact moment. "...ah..." She blushed. "Maybe I'm the one who is hungry."

Kenshin smirked and pushed the bento towards her. "You go ahead and eat." He said as he reached for the other. Kaoru didn't argue and just grabbed some chopsticks.

"Did you ever think of being a stunt double? Isn't it easier than trying to train an actor and risk having the fight scene look poor?" She asked as she stuffed her mouth with rice.

"I've done it before." He said.

"Really?" Some rice sprayed from her mouth and Kenshin flicked one away that landed on him. "Sorry..." She mumbled, sheepishly while handing him a napkin. Kenshin told her some of the work he had done and she released a short laugh. "Hah! That actor kept bragging in his interviews that he did all his own fight scenes!" And she scoffed. "What a liar...that's what made him so popular!" Kaoru said with annoyance and Kenshin laughed to himself. She was getting so heated over nothing.

"Were you bored at all?" He asked and Kaoru vigorously shook her head.

"How could I be?" She asked. "Watching you fight was like being thrown back in time." She then nodded to herself. "You must have been a samurai in your past life. How else could you possess such natural skill?" Kaoru grinned. "I bet you are the way you are because you used to be a samurai."

"Why?"

"You're quiet, mysterious, and you look so gloomy..."

"I'm not gloomy."

But she ignored him. "You know how they say what you did in your past life determines how you live now? You're this way because I bet in your past you lived a difficult life. That's why you seem so melancholy."

"I'm not melancholy."

Again, she ignored him. Kaoru searched the air with her hand as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "You were a lonely wandering warrior, looking to atone for your sins." Kaoru snapped her fingers when she liked the sound of that idea. "You were a highly skilled assassin and one day in blind fury, you accidentally killed your lover which is why you became a wanderer..."

"You watch far too many movies." He said.

"I'll give you a happy ending!" Kaoru cut in. "...but during your travels you met a young, smart, and beautiful girl who brought light and purpose back into your life. Then you lived the rest of your days with her while protecting the weak." Kaoru slapped her own thigh. "Ahhh...I should have been a writer!"

"And what do you think you were in your past life?" He asked in mild amusement. Kaoru smiled as if it was obvious.

"Of course I was royalty or a famous scholar..."

"I disagree." He said and Kaoru crossed her arms while Kenshin leaned back and smirked.

"You know the town beggar who would visit every home and beg for leftovers?"

Kaoru scoffed and crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. "Are you saying I was the town beggar?"

"No..." He said with a mocking tone. "…I'm saying you were the pimple on his face." And Kaoru proceeded to try and strangle him.

* * *

"Wow...it's really coming down..." Kaoru glanced up into the dark grey sky. She stood in front of the school doors and decided to wait for the rain to pass. It was raining too heavily for her to make it to the train station without getting drenched. One by one, students were leaving until only she was left standing at the doors. It was strangely peaceful and comforting to listen to the echoed raindrops against the eaves. She didn't know how long she waited for, but she did not particularly mind standing there. Kaoru was just deciding to leave when a student walked out and stood not too far from her.

It was Tomoe. Kaoru glanced away for a moment. A part of her wasn't even going to bother interacting with her, but then she noticed that she appeared empty handed. Kaoru glanced back at her again. _Man, she's pretty… _She thought. She was certainly a beauty. She was slender and very lady-like. Kenshin did mention that she was often ill too. Kaoru felt the weight of her umbrella in her bag get heavier.

"Yukishiro-san?" Tomoe turned her dark colored eyes to her. She did not bow to Kaoru, not that Kaoru really expected one, but merely stared at her silently. Kaoru found it a bit unnerving. "Ah." Kaoru smiled. "I recognize you because of your brother. My father runs a kendo dojo." She explained even though she was lying. She knew Tomoe through Kenshin.

"I see..." She said.

"Did you bring an umbrella?" Kaoru dug through her bag. "You can use mine. I don't know how far you live from school, but you shouldn't walk in the rain. I wouldn't want you to get sick."

Tomoe did not even glance at it and slightly narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to treat me like a child. You're not that much older than I am, sensei." She said, refusing to take the offered umbrella. Kaoru's smile disappeared and she felt herself blink in surprise.

"...oh...you're right. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression..." Kaoru said and took the umbrella away. She blushed in slight embarrassment and shame. _Fine. Don't take it, you brat!_ Kaoru huffed to herself. When did students become so rude?

"Kenshin..."

Kaoru lifted her head to find Kenshin approaching them. She didn't realize he was still at school and looked away in embarrassment. She hoped he hadn't just seen their exchange. Kenshin looked at Kaoru as if he noticed her change in attitude. He then turned his gaze to Tomoe.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, but glanced momentarily at Kaoru.

"I was waiting for you. Walk home with me." She said, tugging at the end of his shirt.

"Do you have an umbrella?" He asked and Kaoru cut in.

"I thought to offer her mine, but its better you're here. You should share your umbrella with her." She said and Kenshin stared at her, listlessly. She wondered why he was being so quiet today. Just a week ago he was so energetic when they were chatting. She waited for another one of his snide remarks, but Kaoru figured he remained quiet since Tomoe was there.

Kaoru smiled at him. "Be careful on your way back."

Sojiro's head suddenly appeared over her shoulder and he looked at her with a smile. "Will you let me share the umbrella with you, sensei? I forgot to bring mine."

Without another word, Kenshin opened his umbrella. "See you tomorrow." He said and walked off with Tomoe beside him.

"See you tomorrow." Both Kaoru and Sojiro said in unison. It was no surprise that Tomoe did not even glance in their direction. Kaoru simply watched them leave and it almost looked like a scene in a sad movie.

Sojiro sighed, sharply. "She is as cold as ever…"

"Is she always like that?" Kaoru asked.

"From what I've heard, yes. She keeps to herself and she can be rude sometimes."

Kaoru crossed her arms. "That's a shame. She looks like a nice girl if you just get to know her."

"As expected, you're very kind, sensei."

Kaoru snorted. "If I was still in high school I probably would have fought with her often." Sojiro laughed. "But still…I don't think I would hate her. I would just feel frustrated." Kaoru then opened her umbrella and held it over his head.

"I actually have my own umbrella. I just interrupted because it looked like you needed help to get out of an awkward situation." He said and Kaoru looked at him.

She smiled at him. "It was a little awkward. Thanks."

Sojiro pulled out his own umbrella and they decided to walk together anyway. "I overheard what she said to you. I'll admit it was a little rude. You were trying to help her out of the goodness of your heart."

Kaoru felt touched that Sojiro said so. "Did I insult her? I didn't intend to treat her like a child."

"You treat us like your students. You're a teacher after all."

"Because I am so young, it can be hard to act like a teacher." She admitted. "Maybe I come off as a nagging mother because I'm trying too hard."

Sojiro smiled. "Despite what people say, being older by four or five years is still a big age gap. You can't help but view us as young." He said and Kaoru pursed her lips. "But even so, you've never _treated_ us like children. You never looked down on us and that's what matters."

Kaoru was speechless because she felt so touched. "Sojiro...you're surprisingly very sweet."

"Sensei, I just complimented you and you say 'surprisingly'?" He grinned. Kaoru waved her hand.

"I didn't mean it like that." She said and Sojiro merely chuckled.

"You're funny, sensei."

Kaoru suddenly looked at him. "By the way, how do you curl your eyelashes so perfectly? Can you teach me?"

"Sorry sensei, its genetics." He grinned.

"Damn."

* * *

Kaoru slapped her hand on the table and everyone pulled their attention to her. There was only a week left until the cultural festival and there was a lot of work to be done. "Starting today, the students will be taking over the school! There is much to be done so let's get organized!" Kaoru looked at her clipboard. "First things first, did you all break off into groups?"

"We're in charge of the advertising!" Sanosuke called out. They were in charge of attracting students to the classroom. Students began to call out.

"We got decorations!"

"We're going to paint the background!"

"We were in charge of shopping and we were able to borrow a camera."

Kaoru smiled and clasped her hands together. "Perfect! You guys did well!" She checked off her checklist. "Let's get started!"

Kaoru first made everyone move the chairs and desks out of the way. Most of the day was dedicated to decorating and painting. Being the teacher, Kaoru was supposed to leave the students be, but she was having too much fun. She felt like she was a student all over again.

"I'm going to go buy you all some drinks and snacks!" Kaoru yelled over the noise which earned her a couple cheers. Kaoru looked to Shishio, who was closest to her. "Shishio, will you help me?"

"Sure, sensei." He said and showed her his paint covered hands. "Just let me wash my hands first." He went to stand, but Kenshin put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go with her." He said and looked at Kaoru.

She nodded once. "Okay. Shishio, make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes sir." He joked with a smirk, and she and Kenshin left the room.

"So how was training this weekend?" Kaoru asked once they were far enough from the classroom.

"We started practicing for another scene." He said. Kaoru held her hands behind her back.

"You mentioned there are seven major fight scenes, right?" She asked and he nodded in response.

"That's right."

"I should stop by and bring food for the crew."

Kaoru could admit that chatting with Kenshin was becoming a normal occurrence. Although she did not spend time with him often, the little time they did spend time together was enjoyable. He still cruelly teased her and the bickering was relentless, but she didn't mind it anymore. It was comfortable. If she wasn't his teacher, she could almost say they were becoming friends. Not _good_ friends, but still...friends.

"I am sure they would appreciate it." He said. "But make sure you don't bring food you made yourself. We can't have the whole crew die of food poisoning."

"You're lucky we are in school because your face would meet my foot." She threatened, but she couldn't hide the amusement behind her eyes.

"You can't threaten a student, sensei."

"Hah! Don't kid around…" She scoffed. They made their way into the nearest convenient store and Kenshin held the shopping basket as she piled each basket high with drinks and snacks. Of course she made him carry both bags back.

"Shishio told me to dress as the cowboy." Kenshin mentioned. Kaoru was appalled.

"Whaat?! What kind of ridiculous…?! You're the samurai!" Kaoru said. "You could even demonstrate some moves in the courtyard! You know…make fan girls and have them follow you back to the classroom."

"What a dirty way to attract customers."

"Hey…running a business is a cutthroat job. You need to use every trick in the book." Kaoru defended. "And don't pretend you would hate the idea of girls wagging their tails at you." She pointed a teasing finger at him.

"Of course I wouldn't like it." He said and Kaoru shrugged a shoulder.

"I suppose Tomoe would hate it too." She realized.

"She would."

"What is Tomoe doing for the cultural festival?" She suddenly asked.

"I don't think she is attending. She hates these kinds of events."

Kaoru just nodded to herself. "Well, there are those kinds of people too. And if you've been to one, you've been to them all, I guess."

The two were interrupted by someone calling out her name. "Kaoru!" They turned around to find Yahiko running towards her. As soon as he was close enough, Kaoru put Yahiko in a headlock.

"It's 'sensei', you rotten brat!" Kaoru grumbled and Yahiko managed to wrestle his way out of her death grip.

"You can't beat up a student in school!" He said which released Kaoru's hold immediately. Yahiko was sure to greet Kenshin while Kaoru reached into a bag and pulled out a drink.

"Here." She handed it to him. "Are you helping your class prepare for the festival?"

He opened the drink and took a long gulp. "Yeah. They sent me to get a bucket of water." He gasped and wiped his chin.

"Make sure you and Tsubame visit our class." Kaoru said. "I want to take a picture with you guys." She said.

"Then make sure you visit our classroom too." Kaoru promised she would and Yahiko ran off.

"When the festival is over, make sure you don't run off either." Kaoru looked at Kenshin. "I want to take a commemorative picture with the whole class too." She said and looked up at him with a large grin.

"Sure."

* * *

The day of the cultural festival arrived quickly. The preparations took longer than expected, but they were able to finish in time. Kaoru entered the classroom and everyone seemed to be bustling about, preparing for the students and families to arrive. There was another hour before the festival would open to the public.

"Where are the boys? I wanted to see their cosplay!" Kaoru looked around. Misao was also wearing a type of ninja costume. It wasn't traditional, but it sure was stylish. "Aww! You look quite cute, Misao."

Misao thanked her with a blush. "The boys are already changing and then they are going to make their way to the front gates to greet all the guests."

"Ahh…is that so? Getting a head start on attracting the customers, I see. Okay, I'll make my way over to see them after I stop by other classrooms." She said and Misao gripped her arm.

"Are you going to see Aoshi-sensei?" Misao pursed her lips and Kaoru grinned, sheepishly, while asking her if she wanted to tag along. Of course Misao said yes and they both went to Aoshi's classroom. Kaoru didn't miss the slight blush that appeared on Aoshi's face when Misao went running in to greet him.

"Shut up…" He grumbled when Kaoru nudged his shoulder.

"Aoshi-sensei, make sure you stop by our classroom too!" Misao demanded while Kaoru bought a flavored ice treat that the class was selling. Kaoru chatted with Aoshi for a bit before she bid him goodbye and went to the front gates.

"Oh? It's sensei!" Sanosuke said and the others all turned in unison. Kaoru stopped dead in her tracks when Kenshin cast his gaze in her direction. Except for Sano, who dressed as a kind of street fighter, Shishio, Sojiro, and Kenshin were dressed as samurai.

Kenshin's lips turned up into a sexy grin. Kaoru looked at her shoes because she needed to look anywhere but at him. Kaoru wondered if she had a new-found fetish for samurai because Kenshin looked _incredibly _handsome. He looked dark and dangerous, and he truly looked like an assassin. Something about it made her excited.

"What do you think, sensei?" Shishio looked proud and Kaoru nodded with approval.

"You guys are going to attract all the females like bears to honey!" She put a thumb up. "We are going to have a line out our door!"

Sanosuke and Shishio looked particularly happy to hear that and high fived. They began to anxiously look into the distance, waiting for the people to arrive. Sojiro simply smiled and waited patiently. He would have been the perfect assassin because it was impossible to know what he was hiding behind that smile of his. Kaoru shivered at the thought.

"I thought you said you would dress as a cowboy?" Kaoru asked Kenshin quietly.

"Shishio decided we should have a theme."

"Good choice. This is definitely better." Kaoru said and then hid her blush by glancing away. She was trying to convince herself that it wasn't actually Kenshin who was making her heart flutter. She just had a thing for samurai apparently.

"Is Aoshi sensei's class selling shaved ice?" He asked and Kaoru looked down at her partially eaten treat.

"Ah! Yes! Would you like some? I bought kiwi flavored..." She said, lifting it. Kenshin surprised her by leaning over and taking a bite directly from the cup. His hair shadowed his face as he did so. He watched as a blush sprinkled across her cheeks and she quickly glanced around. Thankfully they seemed to have been unseen, but Kaoru still gave him a warning glare.

"Outside the school gates, you're not 'sensei' anymore." He said and she scoffed lightly.

"You know that's not wholly true." She said and quickly turned away. It was becoming too dangerous. She needed to get out of there stat. "Don't stay out here too long. It will get too hot for you all." She said.

"Will you bring us shaved ice too then?" Sano asked.

"No need! I brought you guys some cold treats!" A voice called out and Kaoru looked over to find Tae walking towards them, carrying a plastic bag of snacks. The boys politely greeted her as she handed them each some cold drinks.

"Looks like you have all worked hard!" She said. "Looking handsome!" She teased. Kaoru reminded the boys that she wanted to take a picture with them so they couldn't run away when it was over.

"Yes, sensei." They smiled and Kaoru told them to have fun. Before she left, she and Kenshin shared one more secret glance. He gave her another one of his infamous smirks and she quickly turned away. She tugged Tae along with her in a hurry. The two first visited the nurse's office and dragged Megumi along to follow them despite her complaints. They stopped by Tsubame and Yahiko's classroom which had a summer game theme.

"Ooh? You weren't kidding! They even have fishing for goldfish." Megumi looked in amazement as they entered the classroom. Kaoru was just as shocked as Megumi.

"Do you want to play?" Yahiko asked and Kaoru gave a try at one of the games. She had to throw 3 white balls and make them into containers that had pretty small openings. Megumi failed miserably, but Kaoru surprised herself by making in each one.

"Who knew your secret talent was winning at games?" Tae laughed.

Megumi tapped Kaoru on the shoulder. "Hey, win me a prize." She said.

"What am I? Your boyfriend?" Kaoru complained, but ended up winning a cheap silver bangle bracelet for her anyway. She then won something for Tae as well. In fact, with the rate she was going, Kaoru could have taken home every prize they had. Yahiko decided it was time to kick Kaoru out or else the other guests weren't going to have any prizes left to win. After Yahiko kicked them out, the three of them then somehow managed to visit every classroom before it got too busy. It was a busy day and the three sat down to take a break. The school was now swarming with people.

"The haunted house was actually pretty scary…" Tae said and Megumi snorted loudly.

"Don't try to be nice, Tae." Megumi said and Tae looked at her shoes.

"You're right…it was pretty bad…" Tae hated to admit it and Kaoru shrugged her shoulders.

"Our haunted house was really scary, but we spent _months_ preparing for it…remember?" Kaoru said, thinking back to her days in high school. She smiled to herself at the memories.

Eventually Tae had to say her goodbyes and run back to the restaurant. Megumi and Kaoru figured they would return to Kaoru's classroom. She noticed that most of the festival attendees were swarming around their room. It seemed their classroom attracted a lot of attention.

"Wow...there is still a pretty long line out the door..." Kaoru said as she walked in. She glanced at the time. It was about the time when the crowd should die down, but their room was still packed with people. Kaoru finally saw why their classroom was so popular. The boys were posing with the customers in the photos.

"I think our concept changed halfway through..." Misao stood beside her. "Customers started requesting to take pictures with the guys and soon it became 'take pictures with handsome students' rather than 'take a commemorative photo with friends.'"

Kaoru glanced at the line and noticed it was made up of mostly females. There were a couple guys sprinkled in there. The table of props and extra costumes looked like they had barely been touched. Kaoru merely shrugged.

"Whatever brings in business, I guess..." She glanced at Kenshin, who remained particularly stoic the entire time. She wasn't sure if he was enjoying the attention or if he was simply playing his 'character'. "Has everything been running smoothly though?"

Misao nodded. "I think our class was the most popular! Even more popular than the haunted house!"

"Really?" And Kaoru looked at Kenshin again. Since Kaoru was supposed to let the students run the festival, she decided to sit to the side and simply supervise. Kaoru tried hard not to stare at Kenshin, but her eyes just seemed to be drawn to him. Kaoru found that she did not particularly like all the attention he was receiving and she began to shake her knees. She was feeling anxious and did whatever she could not to stare too much. She had to catch herself because she did not want anyone to notice. Kaoru was relieved that Megumi was a good distraction. She tried to chat with Megumi and keep her thoughts occupied. It bothered her that she was so bothered. Maybe it was because she did not want anyone else to see him dressed like a samurai. Maybe she wanted it to be her own little secret. Kaoru was grateful, and yet disappointed, that Kenshin never made any eye contact with her. Sure, he was busy, but she was hoping for some kind of recognition from him. Kaoru nearly smacked herself at the ridiculousness.

As promised, when the festival was coming to an end, Kaoru gathered all the students so they could take a group photo. Megumi offered to take the photo and Kaoru handed Megumi her phone. Kaoru crouched in the middle and everyone squeezed together to fit into the frame.

"I'll send you all a copy!" Kaoru said as she posed for the picture.

"You're blocking my face!"

"Move over..."

"On the count of three!" Megumi said, preparing to take a shot.

"Is everyone here?"

"One...!"

"Someone is stepping on my foot!"

"Two...!"

"Wait! I'm about to sneeze!"

"Who is touching my butt?"

"Three!" And Megumi snapped a picture. Everyone released a heavy sigh and collapsed. Kaoru quickly thanked Megumi. She knew they all just wanted to call it a day and head back home. Kaoru waited at the classroom door and made sure she saw every student off.

"You all did a great job today!" She said as they began to file out the classroom.

"See ya, sensei."

"See ya!"

When the last student said his goodbye, Kaoru began to gather her belongings so she could leave as well. She just picked up her bag when the back door slid open and Kenshin walked in. Kaoru blinked.

"I thought you left already." Kaoru said and was glad she hadn't left yet. She thought she was the last person there. Kenshin would have been left behind.

"I was changing." He said and Kaoru responded with a simple,

"Oh." She waited so they could leave the school together. "You must be exhausted." They exited the classroom and began to walk down the hall. The school was quiet.

"It wasn't too bad until we started taking photos." Kenshin massaged the back of his neck.

"Whose idea was it to take photos with the customers?" She asked and Kenshin pushed his sweaty bangs away from his eyes.

"No one's really…customers just approached us one by one."

"I hope Sojiro isn't too disappointed that his concept changed half way through." Kaoru felt badly that they did not stick with the original plan.

"No, he is fine. If anything, he was more interested in taking pictures with the female students than the rest of us." Kenshin reassured her and Kaoru was surprised to hear that.

"I would never have guessed…" Kaoru muttered to herself. "Well, I supposed he is the only single guy in the group…" She added. She wasn't sure if Sano was single, but with the way he flirted made her suspect he had at least _one_ partner.

"He isn't the only single one." Kenshin corrected and Kaoru smacked his shoulder.

"You keep trying to deny that Tomoe is your girlfriend. She will get mad at you." She scolded and Kenshin just sighed quietly.

Kaoru and Kenshin walked home together and talked about all sorts of topics. Somehow their conversation went from school festivals to which flavor of ice cream had the worst after-taste. The two were so lost in their own world that they failed to notice where the two ended up going. It wasn't until there was a pause in their conversation that stopped Kaoru dead in her tracks.

"Where the heck am I going?" Kaoru suddenly looked to Kenshin with a sort of expression of fear. Kenshin was just as confused as she was.

"…home?" He questioned and Kaoru vigorously shook her head.

"Yes…" She said with a hint of sarcasm. "…but I'm going to _your _home." She said and shoved a finger in the direction they were walking. Sure enough, they were so caught up in their conversation that the two failed to realize that Kaoru was following Kenshin back to his apartment. She was so used to walking there that it seemed like her body moved instinctively. It was almost like going back to his apartment was natural…like it was _supposed to happen. _Kenshin turned his head and looked to his apartment complex which she pointed to. "…that was so dangerous…" Kaoru muttered to herself and put a hand to her forehead. "I wasn't paying attention!" Kenshin motioned towards the building with the tilt of his head.

"Since you're here...do you want to eat dinner?" He asked and for a moment…just for a moment…the both of them hoped she would accept the invitation. She shook her head.

"I can't be seen going to your place! I'll pretend I just escorted you home." Kaoru was already beginning to turn around to walk in the opposite direction. Although she turned around to leave, she did not move. Instead, she remained looking at him. "…but…" She began and Kenshin momentarily lifted his eyebrows as he listened. "…for what it's worth…I do wish I could eat dinner with you." She said. "And for some reason, that thought really frightens me." She admitted. And the two simply stared at each other in silence.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Teach me English, sensei."

...was what he said over the phone and Kaoru sighed heavily. She just got out of the bath and was drying her hair when her phone rang. She already knew who was calling her and she sat on her futon with a loud 'fwump'.

"What is it now?" She answered and she knew Kenshin was smirking. "Teach you _English_?" She echoed. "Have you forgotten I'm your teacher? Your English skills are fine-no...great!" She said.

"My skills aren't that good." He claimed, but she wasn't buying it.

"That's what you said about your cooking skills..."

"I mean it this time." And Kaoru had to laugh because they both knew he was clearly lying. "I must have passing grades in order to go on the school trip."

It was nearly October and the school year was coming to an end in just a couple more months. Soon, the third years were going on their overnight school trip. Every student had to have passing grades in order to join their classmates on the trip. This trip was particularly important since it was their last one as high school students.

"Trust me...your grades are passable." She rolled her eyes. Not only was Kenshin young, talented, and good-looking, but he was also successful academically. His grades weren't just passable, they were at the top.

With a sigh, Kaoru admitted defeat. Since the school festival Kaoru and Kenshin hadn't spoken much. Once and awhile they sent each other messages, but that was all, and she hadn't visited his apartment in weeks. Kenshin and Kaoru were both busy with school work, and Kenshin finished up with the movie choreography. Other than during class, they never had the chance to speak. Kaoru was actually happy to hear from him again. She missed the little times they spent together.

"When do you want me to come over?" She asked, scratching her knee just for the heck of it.

"Whenever you can." He said and Kaoru bit her bottom lip as she thought to herself.

"I can only stop by on Sunday. I have...plans tomorrow evening."

"Why did you hesitate to tell me that?" He asked and Kaoru flinched.

"I did?"

"You did."

She did. And this is because she didn't want him to know that her father set her up on a date.

"You'll like him! I promise." Mr. Kamiya thought it was a good idea to tell her the news while she was drinking. She responded by choking.

"What? You set me up on a date? With whom?" She exclaimed.

"You'll know who he is when you meet him." And her father annoyingly wriggled his eyebrows.

Kenshin laughed.

"And that's all he told me." She sighed into the phone. Kenshin seemed amused again which disappointed Kaoru slightly, but she let it pass.

"Are you nervous?" He asked and she admitted she was. Kaoru wondered why she was talking to him about her date. It really wasn't any of his business.

"Any advice for me?" She asked. Maybe a subconscious part of her wanted him to feel jealous?

"I don't think there is any advice in the world that could help you. Let us hope he is patient enough to deal with you."

Kaoru scoffed loudly. "You dare insult me when you just asked for my help with English? I am your teacher too. I control your grades!" She threatened, but they both knew they were empty threats. She always used her position as his teacher as a threat, but it never worked on him.

"I didn't ask you for help. You still owe me favors."

"Since when did you become so demanding?"

"Always."

"It was sarcasm..." She said and put her head in her hand. Kenshin remained quiet on the other end and Kaoru fidgeted while she waited. "Are you still there?" She finally asked.

"Be yourself." He said and Kaoru snorted slightly.

"What cheesy advice. Everyone knows that one already."

"And yet no one seems to follow it." He noted.

"I guess that is true..." She said and then began to laugh quietly. "I'm getting dating advice from you of all people." She laid back. "Just a few months ago, I thought you were just a delinquent." Kaoru could feel Kenshin smile on the other end. They both reminisced of their first meeting. Kaoru began to pick at her blanket. Every time they spoke, Kaoru wished their conversations never came to an end. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and yet she didn't know where to start. Perhaps it was best to just say goodnight. Kenshin must have thought the same.

"See you Sunday."

"Yes...see you Sunday." She said and ended the call.

* * *

"That's what you're wearing for tonight?" Mr. Kamiya knocked on his daughter's door. Upon entering, he expressed his disapproval of her outfit. Kaoru was putting up her hair and sighed with bobby pins between her teeth.

"Never really had to dress for a date before." She grumbled.

"You look like a teacher."

"I _am_ a teacher."

"I mean you look too old and professional." He clicked his tongue and Kaoru dropped her arms to her side.

"All the clothes I own are either sweats or clothes for work. I don't really own any 'going out' clothes." She had no other choice. Kaoru looked down at her outfit. For once she actually agreed with her father. She looked and felt like a spinster.

"Change your shirt to that light purple one and that'll have to do." He began to wag his finger at her. "And don't be late-" Kaoru responded by promptly kicking her father out of her room. "And leave your hair down!" She heard him yell from the hallway.

Due to her father's constant nagging, Kaoru arrived at the restaurant earlier than planned. He kept rushing her to leave and in the end she forgot to bring her phone. Kaoru sighed as she sat at a table and waited. Since she left her phone she had no idea what time it was. What if he was a no show? Would he even recognize her?

Kaoru self-consciously patted her hair and took a greedy gulp of water to wet her dry lips. She was suddenly feeling nervous. She hoped her date took rejection well. The truth was that Kaoru was most likely going to turn down any future plans of dating the guy. She didn't want to date someone her father chose. What did he know about her tastes in men? And not only that...!

Kaoru paused. Kaoru decided she already didn't like the guy before she even met him. But what would make her think so? Was it simply because she didn't trust her father's tastes? Or...

"Is it because there is someone else...?" She said to herself quietly.

"Kaoru?" A voice from above her jolted her out of her thoughts. Kaoru flinched and banged her knee against the underside of the table.

"Oh! Ouch! Oh! Oh..." Kaoru fumbled as she stood to greet her date. The man chuckled and Kaoru finally got a good look at him.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" The man smiled. His eyes twinkled as he laughed.

Yukishiro Enishi...

Kaoru felt her jaw drop. "E-Enishi? _You're_ my date?" He responded by giving her another easy smile and sat across from her.

"Please, sit." He motioned and Kaoru slowly sat back down, never taking her eyes off him.

_I thought the kendo gods forgave me, but I can see now they torment me still! _Kaoru thought in a panic. Fate had to be so cruel, didn't it?

"I bumped into your father at the last tournament. I asked him how you were and imagine my surprise when he told me you were a teacher at Tomoe's school." He said, cheerfully. "It was then that I expressed my interest in meeting you again. It took me some time, but I'm back in town for now."

"Ah...I...I mean..." Kaoru stumbled with her words and she shook her head once. "It is good to see you again, Enishi. I haven't followed my father to tournaments in a while, so I was surprised to see you here of all places...and under such circumstances..." She added. The last bit was said in almost a whisper.

Kaoru briefly met Enishi during tournaments when they were younger. They never exchanged more than a few words because they were on competing teams. Even so, her father made sure she met and knew who was who in the world of kendo.

Enishi used to be shorter than her. He was quiet, thin, and looked bored most of the time. But now, sitting across from her was a grown man. He was cheerful and handsome, and he most certainly grew into his body. He was so friendly that she found it hard to believe that he and Tomoe were siblings.

"I hope you aren't upset that we are meeting again this way?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Not at all!"

"I was rather disappointed when I couldn't see you anymore." He grinned and Kaoru found herself blushing. "But I heard you went abroad for school."

"I did." She said. "And I heard you became a master in the art of Chinese sword fighting. Congratulations."

Enishi thanked her and they decided to pause in catching up so they could order their meals.

Kaoru surprisingly had a good time on her date with Enishi. She enjoyed herself. She didn't necessarily imagine a romantic relationship with Enishi, but she didn't hate the idea of seeing him again.

"I am stuffed." Kaoru sighed, heavily as she set down her glass. "The food was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating."

"Food always tastes better when eaten in good company." He said and Kaoru laughed. She never remembered Enishi being so charming.

"I suppose that is why I couldn't put my utensil down." She said.

"Dessert? I know you want dessert." He eyed her with a sly grin.

"Of course I want dessert." She laughed.

Enishi took care of the bill for dinner which Kaoru decided would make dessert her treat. They went to a nearby patisserie where they shared some french pastries and talked well into the evening.

"...and I couldn't move for days! I had to crawl on all fours just to walk up my stairs."

Kaoru laughed at the end of Enishi's story. He smiled as he knocked back the rest of his tea.

"Thank you for that story. It was very amusing." Kaoru let out a few more chuckles and sighed.

"We should probably call it a night. It's getting late." He glanced at his watch. Kaoru sat up and looked around for a clock.

"Time really does fly..." She said and looked at Enishi again, who was smiling at her.

"I had fun this evening." He said and Kaoru found herself agreeing with him.

"I did too...actually..." She admitted.

"You sound surprised."

Kaoru quickly shook her head. "Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just didn't expect...I wasn't really interested in..." She trailed off. "...usually blind dates don't end well, but it was fun. I'm glad you were my date." She smiled.

"I hope that means we can do this again?" He asked and upon seeing Kaoru hesitate, he added,

"...as friends?"

To which she replied,

"...of course."

* * *

Kaoru knocked on Kenshin's door and she felt this strange sense of dread. She didn't want him to know she had fun on her date or that her date was the brother of Tomoe. It was strange. It was like she didn't want Kenshin to be happy for her, or to suddenly start suggesting double dates or something. She grimaced.

"What am I, five? Why am I acting this way?" She put a hand to her forehead. Kenshin opened the door for her.

"You have that habit." He said.

"What habit?" She blinked.

"Of talking to yourself when you're distressed." Kaoru felt taken aback because she never noticed.

"I do not!" She said as he stepped aside to let her in. Kenshin did not argue against her and shut the door behind them. Kaoru immediately made her way into his living room and set down some books she brought with her.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked and she asked for coffee. Kaoru sat down and began mindlessly flipping through a book. Kenshin still hadn't asked her about her date. Maybe he didn't care? Kaoru wasn't sure if she should feel happy or disappointed. His lack of curiosity meant he didn't care about whom she dated which was supposed to be a _good_ thing because why should his opinion matter?

"It _doesn't_ matter..." Kaoru frowned to herself.

"See?" Kenshin returned with her coffee. "I told you."

Kaoru slapped a hand to her lips as he sat down beside her. Kaoru cleared her throat and fixed her posture.

"So, what do you not understand?" She asked and Kenshin responded by opening a book to what seemed like a random page. Kaoru leaned forward to get a good look at what he _supposedly_ needed help with. "Sentence structure and syntax?" Kaoru did not look amused. "Quit trying to make me look like a fool." Kenshin responded with a smirk.

"I do not need to try. You do well on your own." He teased. Typically, Kaoru would have responded by trying to strangle him, but today she simply pursed her lips. She sat back and sipped her coffee.

"You don't need my help with English."

"Just because I do well on tests does not mean I truly understand English." He said and pushed the book towards her.

"Really? Do you swear you need my help?" She eyed him and he responded with a curt nod.

While Kenshin worked on practice questions, Kaoru set her head down on the table and stared at him.

"If you keep staring you'll make a hole in my head." Kenshin turned his gaze onto her.

"How come you never asked me how my date went?"

"It's not my place to ask." He said. That annoyed her slightly.

"Aren't you curious? Don't you find joy in hearing about my disastrous date?" She asked. Kenshin set his pen down and sat up while never taking his eyes off her.

"As cruel as I may be towards you, I do not find joy in your misery. And I know your date probably enjoyed your company. You're not as bad as you think you are." Kaoru abruptly sat up.

"Are you complimenting me?" She smiled.

"A fool can still be a likeable fool."

"You have to tease me even while complimenting me." She crossed her arms.

"Do you want me to ask you how your date went?" He asked. After a short pause, Kaoru shook her head.

_"_No." And they left it at that. Kenshin returned to the practice questions.

"How did you meet Tomoe?" Kaoru found herself asking.

"At a tournament when we were young. She was there to support her brother."

"So you really have known her for a long time. Which tournament?"

"The 24th."

Kaoru frowned and sat up. "I was at the 24th tournament. I don't remember seeing her."

Kenshin looked at her. "It seems you have forgotten many people."

"I guess so. Since you were there too apparently..." She scratched her arm. "Did you and I ever speak to each other? I feel like I would have remembered you."

"We did."

Kaoru lifted a brow. "We did?" And suddenly Kaoru knew that fate was real. There was no denying it.

"We met even before the tournament." He dropped a bomb on her. Kaoru waited a moment to see if Kenshin was just playing another trick on her. When he still remained quiet, she responded again.

"We did?" She exclaimed. "When? Where?" Kaoru felt foolish. She could not remember him at all. He must have felt insulted that she had no memory of him.

"We met during the youth training."

"During the summer?"

"Right."

Kaoru put a hand to her forehead and sat back. Kenshin wasn't lying. He wouldn't have known she was at the summer training unless he was there as well. Why could she not remember? "I can't believe it. I'm so sorry I don't remember you."

Kenshin looked at her with a satisfied expression, as if he waited for this moment when she would feel like an absolute fool. "Do you recall putting ointment on a boy's hands?" He asked.

Kaoru looked at him. "That was _you_? Your hands were covered in blisters." Kenshin merely nodded once. "But you told me your name was-"

"Shinta. My uncle changed my name to be more fitting."

Kaoru unknowingly moved closer to him. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She asked.

"It wasn't important." He replied.

"It was...it _is_ important!" She slapped his shoulder. "It's a small world."

"It's not really small when your father and my uncle are acquaintances, and we both competed in tournaments."

"Of all the boys who needed ointment on their hands, and I just happened to be there with ointment...then years later we become student and teacher?" Kaoru smiled to herself. "It's definitely fate."

"You believe in fate?"

Kaoru crossed her arms. "Well after what you just told me it is kind of hard not to believe." Kenshin let out a short huff of laughter.

"You're mocking me." Kaoru pursed her lips.

"I'm not mocking you." He said, quietly. And the way he looked at her made her feel like he was saying, _I'm agreeing with you._

Kaoru looked away and cleared her throat. "You better finish the practice questions."

"I'm finished." He said and stood.

Kaoru watched him as he walked to his kitchen. "Already? It hasn't even been..." She glanced at the time. "...forty minutes!"

Kenshin disappeared behind the wall and Kaoru quickly glanced over his answers. Besides a couple of questions, his answers looked correct.

"It's not 'who', it's 'whom'." Kaoru circled. "And this one is 'fewer'."

"Alright." He returned.

"Do you understand why you were incorrect?" She looked up at him.

"Yes." And Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean, no. Please explain it to me." He smirked.

"Even if you are lying to me about your English skills, at least I'm happy you're studying." Kaoru flipped through the book and searched for extra practice questions. "If you want me to help you again, I think we should do it at school. It's hard to focus here."

"Hard to focus for me? ...or for you?" He asked. Kaoru glanced at his practice questions and then at him.

"Me, I suppose." Kenshin gave her a satisfied smirk which she struggled to ignore. "When do you want to study?"

"After class? Wednesday?" He asked. Kaoru scratched her cheek.

"Umm...

"Ah." Kenshin crossed his arms. "You will be busy."

"Yeah...another 'date'." She made quotations with her fingers. "What about before? Like tomorrow?"

Kenshin shook his head. "It will have to be Thursday."

"Okay, Thursday then." Kaoru pushed a pencil into Kenshin's hand and tapped his book. "Questions 40 to 70. Do them now." She stood up and grunted. Her legs fell asleep after sitting for so long.

"There's food in the fridge." He said, keeping his eyes on his work. Kaoru turned around and looked at him.

"How did you know I was hungry?" She lifted her brows. Kenshin glanced at her over his shoulder and they both smiled.

* * *

"I have a date tomorrow." Kaoru mumbled as she ate a spoonful of rice. Tae was grilling the meat, but paused when Kaoru told her the news. Megumi began to laugh. Kaoru and Megumi stopped by the Akabeko to have dinner.

"A date? _Really?" _Tae gasped.

"Is this the same guy your father set you up with?" Megumi asked and Tae gasped again.

"He did what?"

"You didn't hear? Her father set her up on a blind date! I guess it went well if you're agreeing to see him again." Megumi winked coyly at Kaoru.

"He's someone I know actually." Kaoru said, continuing to eat despite her bummed mood.

"Hm...? I imagined you would be more excited to go on a date." Megumi said. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He's handsome, friendly..." Kaoru could not think of what else to say since there wasn't much she knew about him. "I agreed to only go out on a date with him as friends though."

"Handsome and friendly aren't bad traits to have. Don't you like him?" Tae added more meat to the grill.

Kaoru looked at them. "...not really. Not romantically anyway." She scratched the back of her neck. "I don't know. I'm not really feeling anything."

Megumi waved a hand dismissively. "That takes time to figure out. If there isn't anything wrong with him then you should give it a chance." Tae agreed with Megumi and Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek.

Tae sighed. "Now I'm starting to feel the single blues..." She shook her head. "Even high school couples are coming in nowadays."

Kaoru pursed her lips and set down her cup. She wondered if Kenshin and Tomoe were together at the moment. Were they back at his apartment? Was he cooking a meal like he did for her? Were they sharing ice cream and watching horror films like they did? Kaoru slammed a hand on her knee.

"I'll give it a shot." Kaoru yelled to no one in particular. "I deserve to experience love too!"

And Megumi and Tae shared a secret smile.

* * *

"How was your day?" Enishi asked as they entered a restaurant and waited to be seated. It was quite busy, and the aroma of roasted meats filled the restaurant. Kaoru's stomach grumbled loudly.

"Every day is fun for me." Kaoru said with all honesty. She hadn't had a bad day yet. Enishi shook his head.

"I'm surprised you became a teacher."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Seems like a waste." He said and Kaoru blinked. Upon seeing her expression, Enishi spoke again. "I don't mean to insult you. I just thought you would follow in your father's footsteps."

Kaoru supposed Enishi wasn't trying to be rude. He was simply being honest. Still, his comment surprised her.

"I suppose many people would have assumed I would take over the dojo. And someday I will." She shrugged. "For now, I want to be a teacher."

"I just never viewed teaching as a good profession. It doesn't get you anywhere."

Kaoru lifted a brow. She felt slightly annoyed, but pushed it aside. He was entitled to his opinions. Thankfully the topic was dropped when they were brought to their table. The rest of dinner went well and Kaoru enjoyed her time. Enishi told her more funny stories and charmed her throughout the meal.

"I had no idea!" Kaoru laughed and Enishi leaned forward to show her a small scar on the top left of his forehead.

"You can still see it." He moved his hair aside.

"Oh, you're right!" She gasped. "Well..." She sat back. "I now know to never try and bully a goose. They are clearly vicious creatures." She laughed again. "Why don't you tell me a little more about your training? Why did you decide to go to China?" Kaoru asked, taking a sip of her drink. Something flickered in Enishi's eyes as he smiled.

"I wanted more." He said, simply.

"More?"

"Yes, I mastered the art of kendo, and then I wanted to master another art. I want to be the best." He said.

"Wow. You seem very..." Kaoru tried to find the word. "...driven." Enishi seemed to appreciate the compliment.

"I have to be if I want to be the best. I want everyone to know my name."

Kaoru couldn't help but notice how much Kenshin and Enishi differed in nature. Kenshin was the best, yet didn't strive to be. He respected the sword and did not view fighting as just a sport. Kenshin was the best because of diligent practice and natural talent. Kenshin avoided the spotlight. Enishi on the other hand...he craved it.

Kaoru bit her tongue. Enishi's selfish desire was going against the true philosophy of kendo. Kendo taught the importance of respect and humility. There was nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself, but Enishi seemed to have selfish goals. Kaoru took another sip of her drink and decided against mentioning anything. Kaoru was going to give him the benefit of the doubt that she simply misunderstood his intentions.

"Now that you mastered Chinese sword fighting, what are you going to do next?"

"Try and win every competition out there until every household knows my name."

_There he goes again_, she thought.

Enishi pointed a finger at her. "Tomoe told me that Himura Kenshin is a student of yours? Is this true?" Kaoru nodded.

"It's true." She smiled.

Enishi chuckled slightly. "So he really did run away..."

Kaoru's smile vanished. "He didn't run away. He made a choice." And then Kaoru wondered why Enishi was in this small town after all these years. Did he return to visit his sister? Did he return to see Kaoru? Or did he return to rub his 'success' in someone's face?

"He made a choice to run away." He said, but thankfully changed the subject when he realized the conversation was taking a wrong turn. He cleared his throat. "Tell me more about being a teacher. What about it do you like the most?" He smiled. Kaoru no longer found his smile as charming as before.

Kaoru humored him and continued with the conversation, but it was too late...her mood was already ruined.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Kaoru told Kenshin to wait for her in the classroom. She had to run a couple errands before she was free to help him study. She promised him it would only take a few minutes, but those few minutes turned into an hour.

"Ah! I forgot to give these to Megumi!" Kaoru grabbed a folder of health forms that the third years had to sign to verify they were healthy enough to go on the overnight trip. It was important that Kaoru passed them to Megumi. Kaoru ran through the halls of the school without any care since most of the students and teachers were already gone. She slowed to a walk when she neared the nurse's office, but then came to a dead halt when she arrived at the door. Kaoru gasped and quickly crouched so she wasn't seen. Kaoru slapped a hand over her mouth.

_Surely I'm seeing things..._ She thought. She took another breath and very slowly stood to look through the crack in the door. She gasped again. _Are you two crazy?_

Although they were behind the bed curtain, Kaoru could still see them. Sano and Megumi. Sano sat in her desk chair while Megumi stood between his legs. Sano held her around the waist and stared up at her lovingly. From where she stood, Kaoru could see the two were having a conversation. In between her sentences Megumi would lower her head and kiss him on the lips.

_She could just be giving him mouth to mouth?_ Kaoru thought and then slapped her forehead at the stupidity.

"Stop being an idiot!" She hissed under her breath.

"You're talking to yourself again."

Kaoru released a panicked gasp and, already knowing who was behind her, she blindly collided into Kenshin's arms and pushed him away from the door with her body weight.

"Nothing! There's no one there! Let's go back to the classroom!" Kaoru hissed as she continued to push him away and towards the staircase. Kenshin gripped Kaoru's arms to keep them both steady as they stumbled backwards.

"Why are you whispering?" He asked and Kaoru violently hushed him.

"No reason! I just feel like it!" And Kenshin said no more as she had no choice but to push them under the stairs. Kaoru hushed him again and waited. Kaoru still blocked him with her body so he could not leave.

"What is going on?" He said, quietly and Kaoru looked up at him. She looked panicked and disheveled. Kenshin did her a favor and brushed stray hairs away from her face as she spoke. She did not seem to notice this.

"I saw something I shouldn't have!" She said before she looked over her shoulder to glance into the hallway. Kenshin turned his attention in the same direction and moments later, Sano and Megumi exited the office. The two stepped dangerously close to where Kaoru and Kenshin hid, and Kaoru sucked in a breath. Unknowingly, she tightly hugged her arms around Kenshin's waist as she held her breath. Kenshin returned the hug, securing his arms around her.

Sano and Megumi quickly scanned the surrounding area before exchanging a quick kiss goodbye.

"You can stop by later." Megumi said, but Sano shook his head.

"I've got to watch over my siblings tonight." He said. Megumi brushed some lint off his chest.

"Alright. Come by when you can." And he gave her another kiss before they parted ways.

Kaoru was impressed that she could hold her breath for so long. Once she was sure they were gone, she released her breath in a loud gasp for air.

"You didn't have to hold your breath." Kenshin said as Kaoru gathered her thoughts. Kaoru looked up at him.

"Did you _see_ that?" She gripped his shirt tightly. Kenshin looked up and then down at her again.

"See what?"

"_That!"_

"Sano and Megumi?"

"Yes!" She said with exhaustion. Kenshin remained quiet. "Sano and Megumi! They were...they were..._embracing_ and _kissing_!" She said. And at that, Kaoru realized in what position she was in and blushed brightly. She apologized and stepped out of his embrace, fixing her appearance as she did so.

"Yes. That's what lovers do." Kenshin said and Kaoru looked at him. "They kiss and embrace." Kenshin was oddly calm.

"Don't tell me you knew?" She asked and when he didn't respond she threw her arms in the air. "You _knew_?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Are _you_ going to say anything?" He asked and Kaoru closed her mouth.

"It's not...really any of my business..." She scratched her arm.

"Neither is it mine."

"But I'm a teacher! I have a duty to...it's inappropriate!" She said and Kenshin lifted an eyebrow at her. Kaoru was the last person to lecture about what was inappropriate. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. We broke the rules too..." She sighed. "But at least not like that!" She pointed behind her to nothing in particular.

"It's their business and whatever consequences they do or do not suffer from does not affect us." Kenshin said and began to walk past her. Kaoru gripped his hand to stop him.

"Can you put this on her desk? I can't go in there." She tried to hide her blush as she handed him the folder of forms. Kenshin smirked.

"What a child..." He said before taking the folder from her. Kaoru managed to move her limbs to get her out from beneath the stairwell and she waited for Kenshin at the steps.

"Do you think Aoshi and Misao...?" Kaoru began as they walked back to the classroom.

"No. Aoshi would never. He will wait until she graduates." Kenshin sounded so sure that Kaoru found comfort in it and believed him.

Finding Sano and Megumi together in Kenshin's presence was making Kaoru feel extra self-conscious. Her heart was beating wildly. She suddenly became hyper aware that he was a student and they were alone.

When they arrived at the classroom, Kenshin turned around and flicked her on the forehead.

"I'm not going to do anything to you." He said and Kaoru turned bright red.

"I-I wasn't thinking anything!" She argued.

"Mmhm."

"I wasn't!"

But she did. Of course she did.


End file.
